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In an exclusive , Missouri’s senior GOP senator has picked up a $5,000 donation from the Teamsters union’s political action committee.

Axios reported that the contribution will be included in the Federal Election Committee report that candidates are required to file by midnight Monday.

For decades, unions have been overwhelmingly supportive of Democratic candidates, not only with financial backing but also through community campaign work from rank-and-file members.

But Hawley recently has taken to showing up at union hot spots to rub elbows and express his support of striking workers.

In recent months, he visited members of the United Auto Workers on the picket line at a General Motors truck plant in Wentzville and then a Teamsters action at Graybar Electric in Clayton.

Late last year, Hawley also said he has switched his previous stance and no longer supports “right to work� measures — something he favored back in 2018.

He also threw his support to an amendment from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, that aims to add seven paid sick days to the contract of union railroad workers.

And in this specific U.S. Senate race, support among union members could prove to be an important battleground in the race. Lucas Kunce, the leading Democratic candidate for Hawley’s seat, has picked up a load of labor backers.

Kunce, who lost the Democratic primary in 2022 to Trudy Busch Valentine, has earned endorsements from (to name just a few) the Missouri AFL-CIO; Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters; Building and Construction Trades Council of both ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and Kansas City; and United Food and Commercial Workers.

The other two Democrats opposing Kunce in the Aug. 6 primary are state Sen. Karla May of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and Columbia activist December Harmon.

Axios goes on the report that Republicans, with former President Donald Trump leading the charge, have made a dent in the Democrats’ lock on some working-class voters.

After a visit with Teamster president Sean O’Brien in January, Trump claimed he had a “good shot� at pickling up the endorsement from the 1.3 million-member union.

Even the Washington Post has reported that the Teamsters’ PAC has contributed $45,000 to the Republican National Committee’s convention fund, its first big donation to the RNC in almost 20 years.

All that said, that’s not to say that unions have gone and joined the GOP.

Axios notes that in the 2022 election cycle, the Teamsters PAC gave $1.28 million to Democratic candidates and $30,000 to Republicans.