Updated Sep 2, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Harris, Walz make underdog pitch to unions on Labor Day

Andrew Childers

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a Labor Day event at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan, Sept. 2, 2024. — Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a Labor Day event at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan, on Monday. Photo by Jeff Kawalsky / AFP

Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz described themselves as fighting uphill against former President Trump in Labor Day speeches to unions in critical swing states Michigan and Wisconsin.

Why it matters: Despite leading Trump in polls since the Democratic convention, Harris' campaign has emphasized how tight the race for the presidency remains despite the growing excitement and influx of cash from reinvigorated party faithful.

"We know this is going to be a very tight race to the very end. … We know how they play. We know what they do," Harris told union members in Detroit.
"We are out here running like we are the underdog in this race because we know what we are fighting for," she added.

State of play: Harris and Walz both hit familiar themes for union members, promising to protect workers' pensions and benefits, raise the minimum wage and empower unions in the workplace.

"No one should ever be made to fight alone. We are all in this together," Harris said in Michigan where the audience interrupted her speech to chant "Trump is a scab."

What they're saying: Harris and Walz used the underdog framing to warn Democrats against getting complacent even as the party's electoral prospects have greatly improved since President Biden dropped out of the race.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report last month gave Harris an edge over Trump in crucial swing states Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
"We'll sleep when we're dead. Now is not the time," Walz told union members in Wisconsin.

Yes, but: Despite the Democrats' insistence the race will be a nailbiter, Walz couldn't help but needle Trump's declining poll numbers, comparing Trump to the cafeteria bullies Walz supervised as an educator.

"The bullies who want to instill fear are the first ones to find out what happens when the tide turns. He's running scared now," Walz said.

The other side: Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in an emailed statement Monday evening that Harris was spending Labor Day "campaigning with her partner-in-crime Joe Biden desperately trying to gaslight the American people."

She added, "Meanwhile, this Labor Day the American people are working harder than ever to afford gas, groceries, and rent because Kamala Harris broke our economy and is proud of it."

Go deeper: UAW, other unions cheers Walz as Harris' VP pick

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

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Harris, Walz make underdog pitch to unions on Labor Day

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