On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will be in the Detroit area for a joint campaign event with the United Auto Workers union. In many ways, this event encapsulates why Walz emerged victorious in the Harris ballot drawing.
He needs the support of the unions to win. The unions also want someone to support them.
Opinion columnist
Granderson Landing Station
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and navigating life in America.
Last fall, President Biden became The first sitting president to participate in a demonstrationin solidarity with UAW workers. That strike was one of 33 major work stoppages Last year, across the country, workers took to the streets to demand their fair share after the pandemic brought record profits to Wall Street.
Last year also saw industry-shaking strikes by actors and writers and the largest health care strike in the country’s history. To say unions have shaped the Biden administration would be an understatement. be a Biden administration if the unions had not united around his candidacy.
And less than a week ago, UAW President Shawn Fain expressed concern about two names circulating as potential Harris running mates: Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona because of his lukewarm support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania because of his backing of school vouchers.
Under normal circumstances, there might have been time for Democrats to debate the merits of their positions and what each could do for the ticket: Both hail from battleground states, and the inclusion of either could have swayed Republicans who don’t want to vote for former President Trump. But for Harris, union concerns outweighed those factors. It shows she’s not putting all her hopes into courting pseudo-Republicans; she’s using this crucial moment to shore up the Democratic base.
Fain said the UAW would support whoever Harris chose, but clearly preferred someone they could assume would stand on the picket line with them.
Walz, a former high school social studies teacher and football coach, fits the profile. His support for unions isn’t just lip service; it’s backed by progressive policies he has enacted as governor to support the middle class.
When Trump learned of the election, he told supporters via email that Walz would “unleash HELL ON EARTH.” Trump, a convicted felon, also warned that Walz, a 20-year military veteran, would “open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable.”
For the record, the “hell” Walz unleashed on Minnesota includes tax credits for families with children, universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students regardless of income, a paid family and medical leave program, and simpler ways to vote. In 2018, after being elected governor, Walz discussed the merits of Legalize recreational marijuana as a source of income Source. Today, it is not only legal in Minnesota, but is also accompanied by a social equity program similar to The one that California enacted.
The reality is that for all the emphasis on Harris’ need to win Pennsylvania or perhaps knock Arizona off the GOP’s list of targets, she ultimately settled on a competent executive from a blue state with a long and successful track record. Walz has accomplished as much as any governor in the country. And by choosing him, Harris showed us a lot about how she will approach the remaining months of the campaign.
Rather than simply going after moderate Republicans who might ultimately still vote for Trump, his election indicates he is doubling down on his efforts to grow the progressive base. Perhaps the electoral college math will underscore the need for greater Democratic turnout in the Midwest. It is also likely that The recent election results In states where reproductive rights were on the ballot, they suggest that particular issue — and not his vice presidential pick — is the best way to appeal to moderates in November.
The “K-Hive” of her new and old fans, who boosted her campaign with A record $310 million in just a few days in JulyIt also gave Harris a lot of momentum. As qualified as Shapiro and Kelly may be, it would be hard to maintain that momentum if she had chosen a running mate whom the party base simply tolerates.
Don't take my word for it. Look what JD Vance did to Trump.
