Will labor ties be McCotter’s albatross?

Livonia Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter has made his bid for the GOP nomination for president, but both organized labor and anti-union groups say they will be watching him closely.

The reason? McCotter has a fairly strong pro-union voting record in his five terms in the U.S. Congress, reports The Hill. While his rating from the AFL-CIO is low, only 36 percent, it is still high enough for his support of unions to become a target in the GOP Presidential primaries.

That leaves observers wondering whether McCotter will disavow his lukewarm support for unions in order to appeal to the conservative voters in the presidential primaries, or hold on to those stances and risk losing the primary? Also in play — will McCotter seek reelection to his 11th Congressional district, and if so, if he disavows the support for unions, will that hurt his reelection chances for that seat?

McCotter refuses to say if he plans to seek reelection to Congress.

His support of organized labor can be found in a handful of items — from his vocal support and vote for the auto company bailout, to his praise of UAW President Ron Gettlefinger on the floor of the House, to his vote for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). He was one of 13 GOP lawmakers to vote for the law in 2007, but earlier this year he rescinded that vote. He said he switched his vote after watching the protests and battles in Wisconsin.

So what is labor saying about McCotter?

[Mark] Gaffney [President of the Michigan AFL-CIO] said he plans to brief his members on where the Republican candidates stand before the Michigan primary, which will be vital in this year’s White House race. He will also discuss the presidential hopefuls with other labor leaders in key primary states.

“We’re going to remind folks where his past positions were, if need be,” Gaffney said about McCotter. “We will be monitoring him and we will try to hold him accountable.”

But the anti-union Associated Builders and Contractors is not happy with McCotter’s presidential aspirations:

“My first thought when I heard that he’s running for president — ‘He must be running for president for the International Brotherhood of Carpenters.’ There is not a bigger union stooge out there,” [Brett] McMahon said. “For the life of me, I cannot understand where he thinks there is a Republican-loving union constituency out there.”

So, both sides will be watching McCotter’s performance in the coming months to see if he plans to flip on his pro-union past in order to fit in with the anti-union sentiment of conservative primary voters.