Joint Rally of Biden and Pennsylvania on the 2nd
Speech to UAW in Detroit Visit
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris is actively working to secure labor union votes to win the presidential election. She plans to put significant effort into gaining the crucial support of unions in battleground states that will decide the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, including holding joint rallies with President Joe Biden on Labor Day.
According to major foreign media such as Bloomberg on the 1st (local time), Vice President Harris will hold a joint rally with President Biden in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Labor Day, September 2nd.
Pennsylvania is one of the seven battleground states that will determine the U.S. presidential election results. This will be Harris’s first joint rally with President Biden since being confirmed as the presidential candidate, and her strategy is to actively embrace the pro-union stance that President Biden has built over decades. Earlier on the same day, Harris will visit Detroit, Michigan, to deliver a speech to members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.
Labor votes are considered decisive in winning battleground states. One-fifth of voters in swing regions such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin are union members. Support for unions among Americans is also on the rise. According to a Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans who support unions increased from 48% in 2009 to 70% in 2024. Meanwhile, those who do not support unions dropped sharply from 45% to 23% during the same period.
On the other hand, some unions are still withholding their support for Vice President Harris. One of them is the large American truck drivers’ union, the Teamsters. Sean O’Brien, the Teamsters president, stated, "We are waiting for Vice President Harris to come meet with us."
In response, Vice President Harris is increasing her engagement with unions as the election, just over two months away, approaches, aiming to win over white working-class voters in the "Rust Belt"?the declining industrial region?who have been leaning toward former President Trump. The choice of Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, as her running mate also reflects his strong support from unions.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris continues to lead former President Trump in approval ratings. According to a poll released on the day by ABC News and polling firm Ipsos, conducted from August 23 to 27 with 2,469 Americans, Harris’s approval rating was 50%, 4 percentage points ahead of Trump’s 46% (margin of error ±2 percentage points). However, the two candidates are neck and neck in battleground state support, indicating a fierce contest in the presidential election. According to a poll conducted by political media The Hill and Emerson College from August 25 to 28 among 700 to 800 likely voters in each of the seven battleground states, the two candidates each held a narrow lead within the margin of error by 1 to 3 percentage points in three states, and tied in one state.
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