LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will spend their first full day as running mates Wednesday mobilizing Democrats across the Midwest, a politically divided region that is critical to their quest to capture the White House in less than three months.
The trip, which begins in Wisconsin and then travels to Michigan, is designed to bolster support among the younger, diverse and pro-worker voters who were instrumental in President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. But that coalition showed signs of splintering over the summer, particularly in Michigan, which has emerged as a flashpoint for Democratic divisions over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Biden is now out of the race and Harris is officially the Democratic nominee. Representatives of the Arab-American community and major labor unions are saying they are encouraged by the choice. Walz’s inclusion on the list has eased some tensions and signals to some community leaders that Harris has heard concerns about another leading vice presidential contender, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who they say has gone too far in his support for Israel.
“The party recognizes that it needs to rebuild a coalition,” said Abdullah Hammoud, mayor of Dearborn, Michigan. “The election of Walz is another sign of goodwill.”
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is seeking a third term, appeared with Harris at a campaign rally in suburban Milwaukee last month and said in a fundraising email Tuesday morning that she was “thrilled to see a fellow Midwesterner at the top of the ballot.”
Donald Trump had a similar emphasis on appealing to voters in Midwestern states with his choice of Ohio Senator JD Vance for vice president. Vance will again endorse the Harris-Walz ticket and campaign in the same states on Wednesday, starting his day in Michigan before heading to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the same city where the Democratic candidates will appear hours later before heading to Michigan.
In Michigan, politicians say enthusiasm for the Democrats has increased since Harris announced her candidacy.
That could be crucial in Detroit, where nearly 80 percent of the population is black. Politicians had warned the government for months that voter fatigue could cost them dearly in a city that is normally a stronghold of their party. Rev. Wendell Anthony, chairman of the Detroit NAACP branch, said the excitement in the city was “mind-blowing.” He compared it to Barack Obama’s first presidential run in 2008, when voters lined up long lines to elect the country’s first black president.
But in Michigan, some Democratic politicians are increasingly concerned that choosing the wrong vice president could sluggish that momentum and split a coalition that has only recently begun to solidify.
Arab-American politicians, who wield enormous influence in Michigan due to their sturdy presence in the Detroit metropolitan area, had vocally expressed their opposition to Shapiro because of his past comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Arab-American politicians pointed in particular to a comment he made earlier this year about protests on college campuses, which they felt was an unfair comparison of the actions of student protesters with those of white supremacists. Shapiro, who is Jewish himself, criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but remained a staunch supporter of Israel.
“It is certainly not anti-Semitic to criticize a person’s stance on Israeli policy,” Hammoud said. “It’s simply called responsibility and accountability.”
The politicians not only expressed their concerns publicly, but also let the White House and Harris’ team discuss them in secret.
Osama Siblani, publisher of Dearborn-based Arab American News and a prominent leader of Michigan’s vast Muslim community, was among those who met with White House adviser Tom Perez in Michigan last week. Although Perez was in the state on official business, he has maintained contact with some Dearborn leaders since he and other senior officials traveled there with Biden to improve relations with the community.
Siblani said he met with Perez for more than an hour on July 29 and told him that if Harris chose Shapiro, it would “end” future talks. He also conveyed that message to Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan.
Opposition from Arab Americans and union leaders was “not the only reason she didn’t choose Shapiro, but one of the main reasons,” Siblani said.
“Not selecting Shapiro is a very good step. It opens the door a crack for us,” said Siblani, who, like Hammoud, stressed that all meaningful talks also include political discussions.
Jewish Michigan state Senator Jeremy Moss was excited about the prospect of running Shapiro as his vice presidential candidate but was “troubled” by the criticism he received, as he believed many of the candidates being vetted had similar views on Israel. He said he did not believe the criticism played a role in Harris’ decision and that “she’s picking someone based on this long-term game that she can work with for four to eight years.”
Still, Moss said he was glad that the Harris-Walz ticket was not divisive and that the sense of unity among Democrats was “felt on the ground.”
The country’s largest autoworkers’ union, the United Auto Workers, also watched the vice presidential election closely.
They quickly endorsed Harris after she replaced Biden, and UAW President Shawn Fain said publicly she had the right to choose her own running mate. But he also said the union, which has 370,000 members and a sturdy presence in Michigan and other Midwestern states, was not in favor of Shapiro, who previously joined Republicans in Pennsylvania in supporting an expansion of voucher programs that allow public tax dollars to flow to private schools.
Fain had singled out Walz – among other candidates – in an interview with The Associated Press on August 2, saying the Minnesota governor was a “brilliant, sharp guy.” In a statement on Tuesday, Fain said Walz would be a “great vice president” and that he had “stood with the working class every step of the way.”
Dingell, a well-connected Democrat in Dearborn who has brokered some of the talks between Biden administration officials and leaders of key voting blocs in Michigan, echoed that sentiment on Tuesday, saying Walz’s selection would only add to the excitement at Wednesday’s rally in Detroit.
“We have someone from the Midwest, from the heart of the country, who really understands our problems,” Dingell said. “And he’s going to be a partner to her. She won’t have to turn around every two minutes. He’s going to be a full, true partner.”
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Associated Press writers Tom Krisher in Detroit and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.
