Michigan Republicans are trying to capitalize on Vice President Kamala Harris' struggles with the state's blue-collar voters, a demographic that traditionally supports Democrats but leans toward former President Donald Trump.
“Michigan’s working class isn’t fooled by Kamala Harris’ sonic salad and dog and pony show. His policies, like the radical Green New Deal, are anti-worker,” Victoria LaCivita, communications director for Team Trump Michigan, told Fox News Digital. “His attack on American energy has made the cost of living unaffordable, and his plan to ban gasoline-powered cars will destroy the backbone of our economy.”
Come as a comment Michigan races to victoryA vital swing state in the upcoming election has heated up, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing Harris with just a 0.5 point lead in the state with just four weeks to go before the election.
Republicans have repeatedly attacked the state in recent weeks, with both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, making multiple appearances in the state.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
The appearances come as Michigan Democrats begin to worry about the vice presidential prospect in the state, with some urging him to visit the state more frequently as the race widens in the House.
Prominent Michigan Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have called on Harris' campaign to focus more on the state as the election approaches, according to a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday. They warned Harris to sharpen her economic messaging, the report noted, stoking fears that Trump had done well to court the state's working-class voters.
Harris has struggled to distance herself from past positions that remain unpopular in the so-called “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, including her previous support for transitioning entirely to zero-emissions vehicles by 2035 and for banning fracking.
These concerns were also highlighted by an internal poll shared with The Wall Street Journal, conducted by Senator Tammy Baldwin's campaign, which showed Harris dropped three points. in WisconsinAnother important Midwestern state with similar voting habits is Michigan.
Former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, a Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal, “People don’t know him — they need to see more.”
Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on Friday, October 4, 2024, at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. (AP Photo/Caroline Custer)
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Republicans believe Harris failed in her campaign with workers who have now begun to gravitate toward Trump.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital that Harris' message “does not resonate with working-class voters” like those in the upper Midwest, something that could help Republicans lose the polls in critical states.
Harris' fight also extends to union members, a group that has long been a Democratic stronghold in the state. But an internal poll conducted by the Teamsters, one of the country's largest and most comprehensive ruling unions, found that Michigan members preferred Trump (61.7%) to Harris (35.2%), while national union leaders balked. to support this year's presidential candidacy, despite supporting President Biden's 2020 campaign.
Harris also failed to secure the endorsement of the International Association of Firefighters, which also supported Biden in 2020, although she did win support from both the United Auto Workers and the Service Employees International Union.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien speaks on stage during the first day of the Republican National Convention at Fisher Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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“The Teamsters’ own polls show what we knew – that ordinary Michigan workers are supporting President Trump and his pro-worker policies,” LaCivita said. “While local chapter leadership refuses to disrupt the status quo, the Michiganders who make up these chapters want strong leadership that will protect their jobs, reduce inflation and support American industry – and that is President Donald J. Trump.”
Harris' campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
