President Obama bailed out the auto industry — and grateful employees given the day off from work on Election Day appeared to have returned the favor at the ballot box.
“Chrysler gave its entire work force the day off to Vote Today!” Chrysler executive Ralph Gilles tweeted. “Let’s go! #America.”
Many voters in the swing states of Michigan and Ohio have jobs tied to the auto industry.
The bailout became a big campaign issue because Mitt Romney initially opposed it. The United Auto Workers union endorsed Obama.
Meanwhile, exit surveys showed Obama did better than four years ago among voters from union households in Ohio, capturing 61 percent of their votes compared to 37 percent for Romney.
But Gilles insisted that Chrysler wasn’t taking sides in the presidential race, saying that treating Election Day like a holiday is part of the union contract.