Vice President Kamala Harris called President Biden out of the bullpen Monday for their first joint campaign appearance since she became the Democratic presidential nominee, marking a symbolic torch passing between the longtime union ally and his successor in blue-collar Pittsburgh.
The race is heading into the post-Labor Day sprint, and polls show the contest is a nail-biter.
The Harris team and former President Donald Trump’s Republican campaign are poised to empty their tanks to try to energize activists and woo a winnowing pool of undecided voters.
For Ms. Harris, that includes solidifying labor union support in the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which Mr. Biden narrowly won four years ago.
“For more than 150 years, the brothers and sisters of labor have helped lead the fight for fair pay, better benefits and safe working conditions, and every person in our nation has benefited from that work,” Ms. Harris said, citing the five-day workweek and paid sick leave. “When union wages go up, everybody’s wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer. When unions are strong, America is strong.”
Ms. Harris cast Mr. Trump as a backward-looking relic.
SEE ALSO: Harris woos workers in Michigan, casts Trump as union-busting relic of past
“In this election, there are two very different visions for our nation. Ours is focused on the future, and the other focuses on the past,” she said. “America has tried those failed policies before, and we are not going back.”
Ms. Harris joined Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump in voicing her opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese company.
“U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated, and I will always have the back of American steelworkers and all of America’s workers,” she said.
Over the next 60-plus days, Ms. Harris will walk a fine line between distancing herself from Mr. Biden and deploying “Scranton Joe” in targeted situations that hide his weaknesses and play to his political strengths.
On Monday, she tapped into Mr. Biden’s deep union ties in a state that could make or break her White House aspirations.
Introducing Ms. Harris to the crowd, Mr. Biden said he is proud of their work to safeguard union pensions, increase spending on infrastructure that created good-paying jobs, and fill the National Labor Relations Board with pro-union members.
SEE ALSO: Clock ticking on Harris’ campaign for a major improvement in the economy
“I know her, I trust her,” Mr. Biden said, adding that tapping her as his vice president was the best decision he made as president. “She has a backbone like a ramrod. She has the moral compass of a saint. This woman knows what she is doing.
“Folks, I promise you if you elected Kamala Harris as president, it will be the best decision you ever made,” he said.
Mr. Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, opted to stay off the campaign trail after a busy two weeks of events and public appearances.
Mr. Trump did chime in on social media by wishing a “Happy Labor Day to all of our American Workers who represent the Shining Example of Hard Work and Ingenuity.”
“Under Comrade Kamala Harris, all Americans are suffering during this Holiday weekend — High Gas Prices, Transportation Costs are up, and Grocery Prices are through the roof,” he said on Truth Social. “We can’t keep living under this weak and failed ‘Leadership,’” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump said Ms. Harris’ record starkly contrasts with his successful record of fighting to protect workers through revised trade deals and investing in job training programs.
“We were an Economic Powerhouse, all because of the American Worker!” he wrote. “But Kamala and Biden have undone all of that. When I return to the White House, we will continue upon our Successes by creating an Environment that ensures ALL Workers, and Businesses, have the opportunity to prosper and achieve their American Dream.”
Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris are scheduled to air their differences in their first debate on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia.
On Monday, Ms. Harris started the day flanked by labor leaders in a Detroit high school gymnasium.
“Everywhere I go, I tell people, ‘Look, you may not be a union member, you’d better thank a union member,” Ms. Harris said.
Ms. Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spoke at Laborfest in Milwaukee. He told union members there that when “we win this election, we will have your back just like you’ve had our back.”
“It is not bragging if it is true. She was part of the most pro-union administration in American history,” Mr. Walz said. “From sticking up for workers to voting for fair legislation to walking picket lines, she was there with workers every step of the way.”
The Labor Day weekend is considered the unofficial kickoff of the homestretch of the presidential campaign.
The final months of the campaign are playing out under unique circumstances.
Mr. Trump’s presidential bid is almost 660 days old, and the Harris campaign recently crossed the 40-day mark.
The distance between those dates is helping to define the contours of the race.
Mr. Trump is arguing that voters were better off during his four years in office and reminding them that Ms. Harris has been Mr. Biden’s sidekick for 3½ years.
Ms. Harris presents herself as a forward-looking candidate, warning voters that they don’t want to return to the chaos of the Trump years.
Mr. Trump and his campaign have embraced early voting this time. The Republican presidential nominee disparaged it in the past.
According to the latest polling averages, Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris are tied in most battleground states.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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