DETROIT (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will emphasize their support for unions during an appearance at a Detroit-area union hall as the fresh Democratic slate of candidates draws attention from a crucial voting base.
Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and Walz, who joined the candidacy on Tuesday, plan to speak to several dozen members of the United Auto Workers union on Thursday.
After President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign last month and endorsed his vice president, unions quickly rallied behind Harris. The AFL-CIO endorsed her after initially backing Biden. The UAW officially endorsed her last week.
Harris and Walz emphasized their support for working people in their first joint appearances this week in some of the most poll-heavy states in the race, states that will facilitate decide whether Harris becomes the nation’s first female president or whether Republican Donald Trump returns to the White House and brings Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate.
Democrats visited Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday in hopes of bolstering support among the younger, more diverse and pro-worker voters who played a key role in Biden’s 2020 election victory.
UAW President Shawn Fain told the Associated Press last week that Harris’ leadership of the Democratic ticket increases the party’s chances of winning Michigan and keeping the White House in November. Fain also spoke at Harris’ campaign rally at an airport hangar near Detroit on Wednesday.
Fain said in the interview that Trump is beholden to billionaires, knows nothing about the auto industry and would send the labor movement into the basement in a second term.
The UAW chairman has become the arch-enemy of the Republican presidential candidate, who frequently rails against Fain at rallies and in speeches.
Vance stopped in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday to show that Republicans are competitive in the “blue wall” of Midwestern states. He called Walz a “crazy radical” and said Harris’ decision to pick him as running mate showed she was “bend[ing]the knee to the far left wing of the Democratic Party.”
As Harris spoke to an estimated 15,000-strong crowd at the airport, she was interrupted by demonstrators protesting Israel’s war in Gaza with Hamas. Harris initially told those who tried to interrupt her, “I’m here because I believe in democracy and every vote counts.”
But Harris lost patience as the shouting continued and protesters accused her of supporting the genocide in Gaza, prompting her to issue a sharper retort.
“If you want Donald Trump to win, say so,” she said, drowning out the protesters. “Otherwise, I’ll speak.”
The Detroit metropolitan area, home to one of the largest Arab-American populations in the United States, has become a flashpoint of tension and unrest due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Shortly after her comments Wednesday, Harris won the endorsement of Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad I. Turfe, the highest-ranking Arab-American official in Michigan’s largest county. Turfe told The Associated Press that he spoke with Harris backstage before his endorsement.
“Kamala Harris embodies the America we deserve – an America that stands for strength, inclusivity and an unwavering commitment to justice,” Turfe said in a statement. “I wholeheartedly endorse Kamala Harris as she represents the true spirit of our nation and the values ​​we hold dear.”
Turfe also stressed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, but added that Harris “offers us the best chance to achieve peace in this region in the future.”
Union members attending the rally said they supported Harris.
Jeanne Ruff of Livonia, Michigan, whose husband is a longtime UAW member, said she hoped Harris would visit a union plant in Michigan to show her support.
“I want her to ensure that skilled trades return to schools so that the next generation understands what unions are all about. What solidarity is and how strong we can be when we pull together,” Ruff said.
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Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan. AP auto writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report.
