Al Mixon, chairman
of the Teamsters National Black Caucus, has jumped into the 2016 race for the
presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
The candidacy of Mixon,
who is secretary-treasurer of Cleveland Local 507, transforms the election into
a three-way contest. His opponents: incumbent Teamsters general president James
P. Hoffa and Tim Sylvester, president of New York Teamsters Local 804, home of
the late Teamsters General President Ron Carey.
The revelation
that Mixon has launched a petition drive to be accredited as a presidential
candidate came not from an announcement by Mixon, but from the Teamsters United
Facebook page. Teamsters United and Teamsters for a Democratic Union are backing
Sylvester.
Mixon currently is
an international vice president, elected in 2011 on the Hoffa slate. I have no
idea why Mixon has split with Hoffa. Sylvester said on his website: “Long-time
allies, Mixon and Hoffa broke with each other this Spring.” Not a very
informative comment.
The next few days
will reveal whether Sylvester's petition drive to be certified as a
presidential candidate has been successful. A minimum of 30,794 signatures are
needed to be certified. Sylvester supporters are aiming for 50,000.
At this point, Al
Mixon is only a name in the game with no indication of whether he will launch a
full-fledged slate or will run alone. I don’t know how potent the Teamsters National Black Caucus is and whether or not it gives Mixon a significant political
base for the 2016 election.
The first test of
his candidacy will be his petition drive for accreditation.
Accreditation gives
a candidate the opportunity to print campaign ads in the Teamster magazine
and a list of the entire Teamster
membership for mailings and other forms of access.
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