Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) boasted on Monday that he is in the “bosom” of labor unions, and he and Vice President Harris are marking Labor Day to try to garner support from key voting bloc in several “blue wall” states.
“When I was on the campaign trail, Republicans came up to me and said, 'Tim is in the unions' pockets,' and I said, 'That's a complete lie. I'm in the unions' pockets,” Walz said. He spoke to a crowd at Milwaukee's Labor Day festival..
“And I said to them: If you want to attack me for standing up for collective bargaining, for fair wages, for safe working conditions, for health care, for retirement, try your luck. I'm up for it,” he said to cheers.
Walz, a former teacher who has touted his membership in the National Education Association during his campaign, spent the first day of the Labor Day holiday meeting with local union leaders in Minnesota before traveling to neighboring Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, after a stop in Detroit, Ms Harris campaigned with President Biden in Pittsburgh, marking the first time the two have appeared together since Mr Biden historically dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Harris is largely aligned with Biden on the issue of labor unions, and her comments on Monday echoed Biden's opposition to the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel Corp. The vice president's campaign has already garnered the support of several key labor unions, including the Labor Union. AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers union.
With just over two months to go until Election Day, and polls showing him in a close race with former President Trump, the endorsements could help him rally support among working-class voters in key battleground states, where his campaign argues union members are essential to a Democratic victory this fall.
