Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will blitz the country on Labor Day, the Harris campaign said, as they make a concerted effort to court union workers ahead of the election.
Harris will kick off Labor Day in Detroit, Michigan, meeting with union members and delivering brief remarks, the campaign said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Debbie Dingell will join Harris, the campaign said.
Labor groups and leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, AFT President Randi Weingarten, Teamsters, the AFL-CIO, Building Trades, IATSE and the SEIU, will also join, the campaign added.
The campaign bus carrying Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is seen as they visit Savannah, Georgia, U.S., Aug. 28, 2024.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Harris will then join Biden in Pittsburgh at a union hall for the pair’s first joint campaign event since Biden dropped his bid for reelection. They will both deliver informal remarks, the Harris campaign said. The United Steelworkers, AFSCME, and other unions will be in attendance, as well as Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Bob Casey, Mayor Ed Gainey and Reps. Summer Lee, Madeleine Dean and Chris Deluzio.
Walz and his wife, Gwen, will start off the day meeting with laborers in St. Paul, Minnesota, before attending Laborfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to prominent labor groups, including SEIU, Teamsters, and United Autoworkers, Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Gwen Moore and Mayor Cavalier Johnson will be there, the campaign said.
Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff will be in Newport News, Virginia, to participate in Rep. Bobby Scott’s annual Labor Day Cookout to deliver remarks, the campaign said.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, disembark from their campaign bus in Savannah, Georgia, Aug. 28, 2024, as they travel across Georgia for a 2-day campaign bus tour.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
“Vice President Harris always put workers first and held powerful interests accountable. As California’s attorney general, she fought wage theft to make sure workers got the pay they earned. As senator, she fought tirelessly for the most vulnerable workers, walking the picket line with UAW and McDonald’s workers and introducing a domestic workers’ bill of rights,” the campaign said in a statement.
“Vice President Harris chairs The White House Task Force on Worker Organizing, which made it easier for working people to exercise their right to join a union,” the campaign continued.
“Meanwhile, Trump was one of the most anti-worker and anti-union presidents in history,” the Harris campaign later added, criticizing former President Donald Trump. “He stacked the National Labor Relations Board with anti-labor advocates. He hurt autoworkers, shipped jobs overseas, and lined the pockets of the super wealthy and big corporations at the expense of the middle class.”
As the 2022 midterm elections draw near, the Harris-Walz campaign is gearing up for a major push to secure union support and align themselves with President Joe Biden. Labor Day, which falls on the first Monday of September, traditionally marks the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of the final stretch of the campaign season. This year, the Harris-Walz campaign is using this holiday as an opportunity to rally support from labor unions and strengthen their ties with the Biden administration.
Labor unions have long been a crucial source of support for Democratic candidates, providing both financial contributions and grassroots organizing efforts. In recent years, unions have played a key role in mobilizing voters and turning out the vote for Democratic candidates in key battleground states. With control of Congress hanging in the balance, the Harris-Walz campaign is keenly aware of the importance of securing union support to help them win crucial races in November.
To that end, the Harris-Walz campaign has been actively reaching out to labor unions across the country, highlighting their commitment to workers’ rights and economic justice. Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have both been vocal advocates for union rights and have pledged to support policies that benefit working families, such as raising the minimum wage, expanding access to affordable healthcare, and investing in infrastructure projects that create good-paying jobs.
In addition to courting union support, the Harris-Walz campaign is also seeking to align themselves with President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings among Democrats remain high. By aligning themselves with the Biden administration, the Harris-Walz campaign hopes to tap into the enthusiasm and energy of Biden’s base of supporters and benefit from his coattails in key battleground states.
Labor Day will serve as a launching pad for the Harris-Walz campaign’s final push to secure union support and align with Biden. The campaign will be hosting a series of events and rallies across the country, featuring appearances by Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and other prominent Democratic leaders. These events will provide an opportunity for the campaign to showcase their commitment to workers’ rights and economic justice, while also highlighting their alignment with the Biden administration’s agenda.
As the 2022 midterm elections approach, the Harris-Walz campaign is leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to secure union support and align with President Biden. By leveraging their strong ties to labor unions and positioning themselves as allies of the Biden administration, the campaign hopes to build momentum heading into November and secure crucial victories in key races across the country. Labor Day will mark the beginning of this final push, as the campaign seeks to mobilize supporters and energize voters in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
