Axios House at the DNC: Working-class voters are key target for candidates amid quest to win over battleground states

CHICAGO – Democrats and Republicans are vying for the support of union voters ahead of November as challenges posed by inflation and the high cost of living remain top issues for American workers.

• Axios interviewed Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), senior adviser for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign David Plouffe, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) at Axios House events hosted alongside the Democratic National Convention week. The events were sponsored by Progressive Policy Institute.

Why it matters: Both presidential candidates looking to rally support in key swing states from voters concerned about the economy, inflation and the high costs of living, including housing.

What they're saying: Rep. Frost praised Vice President Harris' housing platform on Monday, telling Axios' Alex Thompson that it's a priority to make sure "that we crack down on all these horrible predatory practices that are keeping working people, working families, young people, from even getting the opportunity to rent."

• Plouffe, a senior adviser for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, told Axios' Mike Allen that he thinks Harris' entrance into the race has put the Sun Belt battleground states back in play for Democrats looking to sway undecided voters in several key states.

As Democrats solidify their campaign strategy to appeal to voters with Vice President Harris as their new nominee, Rep. DelBene said a key part of that strategy will be capitalizing on House Republicans' "dysfunction."

Sponsored content:

In View From the Top sponsored segments, Member of Parliament for Dover and Deal Mike Tapp, Member of Parliament for Northampton North Lucy Rigby, Progressive Policy Institute president Will Marshall, General Secretary for the Labour Party David Evans and chief executive of Labour Together Jonathan Ashworth talked about what the recent landslide victory for the Labour Party in the U.K. could mean for the U.S. election this November.

• "I think the most important thing that the U.K. election foreshadows is that I think a center-left party that talks relentlessly about the issues that matter to working people and communicates those well has the power to win back trust," Rigby said.

• "Working class voters have felt disillusioned … Their paychecks are not putting the same food on the table that it used to put on the table four or five years ago, so the first thing is you need an economic policy which understands and recognizes that people are struggling, and you need a plan to cut costs. You've had that plan, inflation is stabilizing, and then you really need to run on that, you need to be telling people that you've got a plan to put more money in people's pockets, and that's what we did with the Labor Party in the United Kingdom," Ashworth said.

Go deeper: Watch parts 1 and 2 of the event below.