Harris intensifies outreach to blue-collar voters with visit to Michigan union hall
The vice president is set to visit the workers’ union hall to emphasize the threat posed by Donald Trump to both her and President Joe Biden's industrial investments, as well as the Rust Belt jobs they've generated.
TroibNews 
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to intensify her criticism of Republican nominee Donald Trump’s economic proposals during a campaign event at a union hall in Michigan today, where she will highlight the potential job losses for union workers attributed to Trump’s agenda.
Harris will visit UAW Local 652 in Lansing, as per exclusive information obtained by PMG. This local represents employees at the General Motors Grand River Assembly plant, which is expected to receive a $500 million grant from the Democrats’ 2022 climate and tax law, the Inflation Reduction Act. This funding is intended to transition the plant from producing gas-powered vehicles to electric ones, and she plans to alert workers that the 650 jobs could be at risk if Trump acts on his promise to eliminate unspent funds from this legislation.
“Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and the campaign are aggressively highlighting Trump’s record of failing workers as president,” a campaign staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared. “We are making it clear to Michigan workers that a second Trump term would be even worse.”
This campaign stop is part of an increased emphasis on manufacturing issues by Harris, a subject she addressed less frequently during the early stages of her candidacy. Recently, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz also criticized Trump for his manufacturing policies in Michigan, and the campaign has previously sent influential figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders and UAW President Shawn Fain to Michigan to condemn the GOP’s plans that could jeopardize the significant investment at the Grand River plant.
The campaign aims to underscore that Trump’s intention to recover IRA funds poses a threat not only to factories in Michigan but also to those in other states. This includes a Harley-Davidson facility in York, Pennsylvania, which is anticipated to gain $89 million through the law, and a $670 million loan directed toward an EV battery part manufacturer in Register, Georgia.
“It's a lot bigger than just the Lansing Grand River investment,” UAW’s Fain, whose union supports Harris, stated during a recent media call. “It's factories all over the United States and it’s supply chain factories all over the United States that are being put in place now.”
The emphasis on industrial policy comes amid mounting pressure from labor leaders and party progressives who caution that failing to promote the substantial financial commitments made to manufacturing and infrastructure under the Biden-Harris administration could jeopardize support in the industrial “Blue Wall” states of the Midwest. Recent polls indicate that Harris and Trump are closely matched in pivotal swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, with Harris experiencing a more significant decline among non-college-educated voters compared to President Biden or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“They’re getting the memo,” Maurice Mitchell, leader of the Working Families Party—a progressive organization that typically supports Democrats—told PMG last week. “I’m confident that they are seeing the same data that we’re seeing: that the path to victory in this race is through the working class.”
The upcoming union hall event intends to force Republicans into a defensive position regarding crucial manufacturing issues that underpin Trump’s appeal to blue-collar voters. In September, Trump promised to revoke all “unspent” funds allocated by the IRA, most of which has not yet been disbursed to manufacturing plants. Additionally, this month, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, hesitated to guarantee continued funding for Michigan’s industrial investments supported by the IRA, including the $500 million earmarked for the Lansing EV facility. Vance later attempted to clarify his stance, claiming that he and Trump have never indicated an intention to withdraw any funding intended for Michigan auto workers, while suggesting that the $500 million grant is merely “table scraps” compared to the costs of transitioning the auto industry to electric vehicles.
Democrats swiftly seized on Vance’s remarks. According to Walz, who spoke outside Detroit last week, these “table scraps” comments illustrate the GOP candidates’ indifference towards Michigan workers.
Harris and Michigan Democrats aim to redirect the narrative around electric vehicle policies. For months, Trump and various GOP candidates in Michigan have asserted that Harris and their party will enforce an “EV mandate” that would phase out gas-powered vehicles entirely. They cite both EPA tailpipe regulations and a 2019 bill co-sponsored by Harris that aimed for a complete transition to zero-emission vehicles.
Democrats describe the claims of an EV mandate as a “hoax,” but the issue resonates with numerous Michigan voters, as shown in a statewide poll this summer where 55% expressed disapproval of the Biden-Harris administration’s EV initiatives, compared to 40% who approved.
In response, Harris and Michigan Democrats have attempted to mitigate concerns about regulations by repeatedly emphasizing that they “don’t care” what type of vehicles people drive, but prioritize ensuring that electric vehicles are manufactured in the U.S. rather than in China.
Republicans, on the other hand, continue to focus on EV regulations while avoiding clear positions on the handling of unspent IRA funds. They have launched a new advertisement in Michigan targeting electric vehicle policies and have criticized Democrats in remarks to reporters.
Harris’ EV policies would “eliminate over 100,000 jobs across this country, and Michigan will be hit harder than any other state,” asserted Vance spokesperson William Martin in a statement to PMG following the “table scraps” comment. “If Kamala Harris has her way, her destructive policies are going to cause an awful lot more than $500 million in damages to autoworkers.”
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
Harris will visit UAW Local 652 in Lansing, as per exclusive information obtained by PMG. This local represents employees at the General Motors Grand River Assembly plant, which is expected to receive a $500 million grant from the Democrats’ 2022 climate and tax law, the Inflation Reduction Act. This funding is intended to transition the plant from producing gas-powered vehicles to electric ones, and she plans to alert workers that the 650 jobs could be at risk if Trump acts on his promise to eliminate unspent funds from this legislation.
“Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and the campaign are aggressively highlighting Trump’s record of failing workers as president,” a campaign staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared. “We are making it clear to Michigan workers that a second Trump term would be even worse.”
This campaign stop is part of an increased emphasis on manufacturing issues by Harris, a subject she addressed less frequently during the early stages of her candidacy. Recently, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz also criticized Trump for his manufacturing policies in Michigan, and the campaign has previously sent influential figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders and UAW President Shawn Fain to Michigan to condemn the GOP’s plans that could jeopardize the significant investment at the Grand River plant.
The campaign aims to underscore that Trump’s intention to recover IRA funds poses a threat not only to factories in Michigan but also to those in other states. This includes a Harley-Davidson facility in York, Pennsylvania, which is anticipated to gain $89 million through the law, and a $670 million loan directed toward an EV battery part manufacturer in Register, Georgia.
“It's a lot bigger than just the Lansing Grand River investment,” UAW’s Fain, whose union supports Harris, stated during a recent media call. “It's factories all over the United States and it’s supply chain factories all over the United States that are being put in place now.”
The emphasis on industrial policy comes amid mounting pressure from labor leaders and party progressives who caution that failing to promote the substantial financial commitments made to manufacturing and infrastructure under the Biden-Harris administration could jeopardize support in the industrial “Blue Wall” states of the Midwest. Recent polls indicate that Harris and Trump are closely matched in pivotal swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, with Harris experiencing a more significant decline among non-college-educated voters compared to President Biden or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“They’re getting the memo,” Maurice Mitchell, leader of the Working Families Party—a progressive organization that typically supports Democrats—told PMG last week. “I’m confident that they are seeing the same data that we’re seeing: that the path to victory in this race is through the working class.”
The upcoming union hall event intends to force Republicans into a defensive position regarding crucial manufacturing issues that underpin Trump’s appeal to blue-collar voters. In September, Trump promised to revoke all “unspent” funds allocated by the IRA, most of which has not yet been disbursed to manufacturing plants. Additionally, this month, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, hesitated to guarantee continued funding for Michigan’s industrial investments supported by the IRA, including the $500 million earmarked for the Lansing EV facility. Vance later attempted to clarify his stance, claiming that he and Trump have never indicated an intention to withdraw any funding intended for Michigan auto workers, while suggesting that the $500 million grant is merely “table scraps” compared to the costs of transitioning the auto industry to electric vehicles.
Democrats swiftly seized on Vance’s remarks. According to Walz, who spoke outside Detroit last week, these “table scraps” comments illustrate the GOP candidates’ indifference towards Michigan workers.
Harris and Michigan Democrats aim to redirect the narrative around electric vehicle policies. For months, Trump and various GOP candidates in Michigan have asserted that Harris and their party will enforce an “EV mandate” that would phase out gas-powered vehicles entirely. They cite both EPA tailpipe regulations and a 2019 bill co-sponsored by Harris that aimed for a complete transition to zero-emission vehicles.
Democrats describe the claims of an EV mandate as a “hoax,” but the issue resonates with numerous Michigan voters, as shown in a statewide poll this summer where 55% expressed disapproval of the Biden-Harris administration’s EV initiatives, compared to 40% who approved.
In response, Harris and Michigan Democrats have attempted to mitigate concerns about regulations by repeatedly emphasizing that they “don’t care” what type of vehicles people drive, but prioritize ensuring that electric vehicles are manufactured in the U.S. rather than in China.
Republicans, on the other hand, continue to focus on EV regulations while avoiding clear positions on the handling of unspent IRA funds. They have launched a new advertisement in Michigan targeting electric vehicle policies and have criticized Democrats in remarks to reporters.
Harris’ EV policies would “eliminate over 100,000 jobs across this country, and Michigan will be hit harder than any other state,” asserted Vance spokesperson William Martin in a statement to PMG following the “table scraps” comment. “If Kamala Harris has her way, her destructive policies are going to cause an awful lot more than $500 million in damages to autoworkers.”
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
