DETROIT– vice president Kamala Harris and his running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are expected to demonstrate their support for organized labor during an appearance at a Detroit-area union hall, as the new Democratic ticket pays attention to a crucial base of support.
Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and Walz, who joined the ticket on Tuesday, plans to speak Thursday with several dozen members of the United Auto Workers.
After the president Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign last month and supported his vice president, organized labor quickly rallied around Harris. The AFL-CIO endorsed her after it first supported Biden. The UAW formally endorsed her last week.
Harris and Walz have highlighted their support for workers during their first joint appearances this week in some of the most closely contested states that will help decide whether she becomes the first female U.S. president or becomes a Republican. donald trump returns to the White House and brings with him Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as its vice president.
Democrats visited Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, hoping to shore up support among the younger, more diverse and labor-friendly voters who were instrumental in helping Biden be elected in 2020.
UAW President Shawn Fain told the Associated Press last week that Harris’ lead on the Democratic ticket increases the party’s chances of winning Michigan and keeping the White House in November. Fain also spoke Wednesday at Harris’ campaign rally in a Detroit-area airport hangar.
Fain said in the interview that Trump is indebted to billionaires, knows nothing about the auto industry and would reverse the labor movement in a second term.
The UAW leader has become one of the Republican presidential candidate’s main enemies, who frequently criticizes Fain at rallies and speeches.
Vance made his own stops in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday, intending to show that Republicans will compete in the “blue wall” of Midwestern states. He called Walz a “crazy radical” and said Harris’ decision to pick him as her running mate shows she “bends the knee to the far left of the Democratic Party.”
As Harris spoke to an estimated crowd of 15,000 people at the airport, she was interrupted by protesters opposed Israel’s war in Gaza with Hamas. At first, Harris told those trying to harass her, “I’m here because I believe in democracy and everyone’s voice matters.”
But Harris lost her temper as the chants continued, with protesters accusing her of supporting the genocide in Gaza. This prompted her to give a more blunt response.
“If you want Donald Trump to win, then say so,” she said, speaking over the protesters. “Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
Union members who attended the rally said they supported Harris.
Jeanne Ruff of Livonia, Mich., whose husband is a longtime member of the UAW, said she hoped Harris would visit a union store in Michigan to show her support.
“I want her to ensure that skilled trades return to schools so the next generation can understand what unions are all about. What solidarity is and how strong we can be together, working as one,” said Ruff.
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Associated Press writers Tom Krisher and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
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