Election 2024: Kamala Harris, Tim Walls rally across Midwest, aim to boost support

Lansing, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are rallying Democrats across the Midwest on Wednesday for their first full day as running mates. Politically divided A vital part of their bid to win the White House within three months.

The trip, which will begin in Wisconsin before moving to Michigan, is aimed at gaining support among the younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters who played a key role in helping President Joe Biden win the 2020 election. But that alliance emerged as a focal point over the summer, especially in Michigan. Democratic factions On Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Now that Biden is out of the race and Harris is officially the Democratic nominee, leaders of the Arab American community and major labor unions say they are encouraged by the choice of a running mate. Adding Walls to the ticket was a consolation Some tensionsHarris signaled to some community leaders that he heard concerns about another leading contender for the vice presidency, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

“The party recognizes that they have a coalition that they need to rebuild,” said Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan. “Choosing Walls is another sign of good faith.”

Wisconsin Sen. Tommy Baldwin, a third-term Democrat, appeared with Harris at a campaign stop in suburban Milwaukee last month and said in a fundraising email Tuesday morning that he was “glad to see a fellow Midwesterner.” ticket.”

Donald Trump has put a similar emphasis on wooing voters in Midwestern states through his will. Ohio Sen. JD Vance As his vice-presidential choice. Vance fills the Harris-Wallace ticket, which appeared in the same states on Wednesday.

The Republican began his day in Shelby Township, Michigan, and then planned to travel to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the same town where the Democratic candidates were rallying with indie folk band Bon Iver.

Vance used his Michigan background to blame Harris for illegal immigration, which he says leads to more crime. It’s an attempt to attack Harris on an issue that emboldens Republican-leaning voters, as well as pushing back against Walls, who insisted in his Tuesday speech in Philadelphia that violent crime was higher during Trump’s presidency.

“We should remove Kamala Harris from her position, not promote her,” Vance said, arguing that the former prosecutor was not on the side of the police.

Republicans are trying to portray Harris and Walls as too liberal for the Midwest, Sen. Rep. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said on a conference call that Walls was “as much a part of the extreme, crazy left as Vice President Harris.”

In Michigan, leaders say Democratic enthusiasm has increased since Harris announced his candidacy.

This may be important in Detroit, where leaders are nearly 80% black It had warned for months Administration officials say voter apathy could cost them a city that is usually a stronghold for their party. NAACP Detroit Branch President Rev. Wendell Anthony said the excitement in the city right now is “mind blowing.” He compared it to Barack Obama’s first presidency in 2008, when voters waited in long lines to elect the nation’s first black president.

But some Democratic leaders in Michigan worry that picking the wrong running mate could slow that momentum and break up a recent coalition. began to consolidate.

Arab American leaders who hold s Significant influence Because of a large presence in metro Detroit, Michigan, they have been vocal against Shapiro because of his past comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Those leaders specifically pointed to comments he made about protests on university campuses earlier this year, which he felt were unjustified by comparing the actions of student protesters to those of white supremacists. Shapiro, who is Jewish, has been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while remaining a staunch supporter of Israel.

“Criticizing someone’s position on Israeli policy is certainly not anti-Semitism,” Hammoud said. “It’s called stewardship and accountability.”

In addition to voicing those concerns publicly, the leaders made their feelings known privately to the White House and the Harris team.

Osama Siblani, publisher of Dearborn-based Arab American News and a prominent leader of Michigan’s large Muslim community, was among those who met with White House adviser Tom Perez in Michigan last week. Although Peres is on official duty in the state, he maintains contact with her and other leaders High officials traveled with Biden attempting to mend relations with the community.

Ciplani said he met with Perez for more than an hour on July 29 and said that if Harris chose Shapiro, it would “shut down” any future conversations. He also broke the news to Democratic lawmakers in Congress, including Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell.

Pushback from Arab Americans and union leaders “wasn’t the only reason he didn’t pick Shapiro, but it was one of the main reasons,” Siplani said.

“Not taking Shapiro is a good step. It opens the door a little bit more for us,” said Siplani, who along with Hammoud stressed that any meaningful conversations must include policy discussions.

Jewish Michigan State Senate. Jeremy Moss was excited by the prospect of having Shapiro as his vice presidential running mate, but “concerned” by the criticism he has received, believing that many vetted candidates have similar views on Israel. He said he doesn’t believe the criticism played a role in Harris’ decision, adding that “he chooses someone based on this long game of who he can work with for four to eight years.”

Still, Moss said the Harris-Wallace ticket was not divisive and that a sense of unity among Democrats was “evident on the ground.”

The United Auto Workers, the nation’s largest auto workers union, also watched the vice-presidential pick closely.

They are Moved to approve After Harris stepped in to replace Biden, UAW President Sean Fine publicly said he had the right to choose his own running mate. But the 370,000-member union, which has a large presence in Michigan and other Midwestern states, has not supported Shapiro, who has previously joined Pennsylvania Republicans in calling for an expansion of voucher programs that would allow public tax dollars to flow, he said. For private schools.

Fine singled out Walls — apart from other candidates — in an Aug. 2 interview with The Associated Press, calling the Minnesota governor a “smart person, sharp person.” In a statement Tuesday, Fine said Walls would be an “excellent vice president” and that he “has stood with the working class every step of the way.”

Dingle, a Democrat with deep connections in Dearborn who has brokered some of the conversations between Biden administration officials and leaders of key constituencies in Michigan, echoed those sentiments on Tuesday. He said Walls’ selection will only add to the excitement at Wednesday’s rally in Detroit.

“We’ve got someone from the Midwest, from the heartland, that really understands our issues,” Dingle said. “He’ll be a partner to her. She won’t have to look over her shoulder every two minutes. He’ll be a complete, true partner.

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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Meg Kinnard in Shelby Township, Michigan, Tom Krisher in Detroit and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan contributed to this report.