Harris kicks off fall campaign blitz with Labor Day events in key states

Vice President Kamala Harris embarked on a series of Labor Day events across Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania on Monday, marking the unofficial beginning of the fall campaign season. These events are strategically significant as they target the key states pivotal to the November election.

Harris aims to build on her recent momentum over the next two months. While the Democratic presidential nominee has worked to broaden her competitive reach, these Labor Day stops highlight the crucial role of the “blue wall” states—Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—that secured President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.

In Pittsburgh on Monday evening, Biden joined Harris for a rally, his first joint appearance with her since he suspended his reelection campaign and endorsed her. “I’ll be on the sidelines, but I’ll do everything I can to help,” Biden stated. “Are you ready to make Donald Trump a loser again?”

During the Pennsylvania rally, Harris criticized the potential acquisition of US Steel by the Japanese company Nippon Steel, emphasizing her belief that the American steel industry should remain domestically owned. “US Steel is a historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies,” she declared to a crowd of union members.

A Nippon Steel spokesperson defended the deal, asserting that “U. S. Steel and the entire American steel industry will be on much stronger footing” under the acquisition.

Harris’ Pennsylvania comments mirrored her earlier speech in Detroit, where she championed the “dignity of work” and committed to bolstering protections for collective bargaining. She contrasted sharply with Donald Trump, celebrating the role of unions in building America’s middle class. “We celebrate unions because unions helped build America, and unions helped build America’s middle class,” she said before a packed high school gymnasium.

Joining Harris on stage in Michigan were prominent union leaders, including United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, and National Education Association President Becky Pringle. Harris reiterated her support for the PRO Act, legislation aimed at strengthening workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain. She vowed to “end union busting once and for all.”

With Election Day 64 days away, Harris highlighted the urgency of the upcoming vote, noting that mail-in absentee voting begins in Michigan in 24 days and in Pennsylvania in 14 days. “I’m telling you we know how they play, we know what they do,” she said, cautioning against relying too heavily on polls. “Let’s know, like labor always does, we are out here running like we are the underdog in this race because we know what we are fighting for.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, celebrated Labor Day in Milwaukee by emphasizing his ties to organized labor. He declared himself firmly in “the pocket” of unions and challenged Republicans to criticize his support for labor. Walz highlighted his union membership as a former teacher, his backing of unions in Congress, and his support for Harris’ pro-labor stance.

In contrast, Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, had no public events scheduled for Labor Day. Trump took to his social media platform to criticize Harris over high gas and grocery prices and to tout his renegotiation of trade deals with Mexico and Canada. “We can’t keep living under this weak and failed ‘Leadership,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The Harris campaign responded by criticizing Trump for his absence from Labor Day events. “Donald Trump is ditching workers on Labor Day because he is an anti-worker, anti-union extremist who will sell out working families for his billionaire donors if he takes power,” said campaign spokesperson Joseph Costello.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer lauded Harris’ record and criticized the Republican ticket as out of touch with workers. “If your most famous line is ‘You’re fired,’ you sure as hell don’t understand workers,” Whitmer remarked, referencing Trump’s catchphrase from “The Apprentice.” She praised Harris as part of “the most pro-labor administration in American history” and highlighted Harris’ efforts to support workers and challenge big corporations.

Trump has been critical of labor leaders, including United Auto Workers President Fain, while seeking to attract support from workers in the same Rust Belt states targeted by Harris and Walz. Trump has criticized Biden-Harris administration policies aimed at boosting electric vehicle production, arguing that they harm autoworkers.

Republican representatives in Michigan have echoed these concerns, with Rep. Lisa McClain and Rep. John James arguing that policies promoting electric vehicles are detrimental to jobs. The Harris campaign has countered these claims, emphasizing that the administration’s goal is for electric vehicles to make up half of all new vehicle sales by 2030, not to impose a mandate on all vehicles.