A new Gallup poll shows that union member support for President Obama has dropped dramatically since his huge election victory in 2008. During that election, 67 percent of union members voted for Obama. Today, just 57 percent of union members back him. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has grabbed 35 percent of union member support, over John McCain’s 30 percent in 2008. Interestingly enough, there is very little gap between support levels among government union members versus private sector union members.
Gallup noted that union members’ “impact on the presidential race will be limited by their size – just about 12% of all employed voters are union members – and the fact that a sizable minority support Romney. Still, in crucial battleground states this fall, the vote and efforts of even small groups may end up making a difference.”