The Arab American community, key unions encouraged by Walz's selection as Harris' running mate
EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin: Vice President Kamala Harris made the right choice in selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the November election, leaders of the Arab American community and key Midwestern unions said Wednesday.
Some Democratic leaders in Michigan worried that picking the wrong candidate could slow momentum and start a coalition that has only recently begun to coalesce following Joe Biden's landmark decision to drop out of the race in favor of Harris.
The addition of Walls to the ticket has eased tensions, suggesting to some leaders that Harris has heard concerns about another primary contender for the vice presidency, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who felt he had gone too far in supporting Israel. gone.
“The party recognizes that there is a coalition that they need to rebuild,” said Abdullah Hammoud, mayor of Dearborn, Michigan. “The selection of Walz is another sign of goodwill.”
Harris and Walls spent their first campaign together across the Midwest on Wednesday, where they got an unusual view of the hotly contested district by overlapping with Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance.
Democrats visited Wisconsin and Michigan, hoping to garner the support of younger, more diverse and labor-friendly voters who were instrumental in helping President Joe Biden win the 2020 election.
“As Tim Walls likes to point out, we're happy warriors,” Harris said at the day's first rally in Eau Claire. Aiding that sentiment, Harris' campaign announced that it had raised $36 million in the first 24 hours after Walls was announced as his running mate.
The vice president said the pair were optimistic about the future, unlike former President Donald Trump, who accused him of being stuck in the past and preferring an adversarial style of politics — even as he criticized his opponent.
“Anyone who suggests that we should terminate the United States Constitution should never again have the chance to stand behind it,” Harris said, his voice booming amid cheers from a crowd that his campaign said was more than 12,000. seal of the United States.”
Wednesday's campaign swing was especially important for him and Walls as Biden's winning coalition from four years ago this summer showed signs of faltering — particularly in Michigan, which has been a focal point of Democratic disputes over Biden's handling of the Israel conflict. And Hamas appeared. .
Speaking at a Democratic rally in Wisconsin ahead of Harris, Walls had some critical words for Vance, but directed most of his harshest words at Trump, saying: “The former president makes a mockery of our laws, he creates chaos and division among the people.” Sows and this is nothing. What he did as president.”
Republicans are trying to make Harris and Walls seem too liberal for the Midwest, with Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin saying in a conference call that Walls is “part of the radical, crazy left, as is Vice President Harris.”
Growing enthusiasm
But since Harris announced his candidacy and selected Walls as his running mate, Democratic enthusiasm has grown.
We love the atmosphere. Joe has been a great president, but he is not the same messenger. And sometimes you need a better messenger.” “And that's awesome.”
The move could be pivotal in Detroit, which is nearly 80 percent black, where leaders have warned state officials for months that voter apathy could cost them in a city that is typically their party's stronghold.
Reverend Wendell Anthony, president of Detroit's NAACP chapter, said the excitement in the city now is “mind-boggling.” He likened it to Barack Obama's first run for president in 2008, when voters waited in long lines to help elect the first black president.
Still, some Democratic leaders in Michigan worried that picking the wrong candidate could slow that momentum and destroy a coalition that has only recently begun to coalesce.
Arab American leaders, who wield significant influence in Michigan due to their large presence in metro Detroit, have been vocal in their opposition to Shapiro's past comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The leaders specifically pointed to a comment he made earlier this year regarding protests on campus, which they felt compared the actions of the student protesters to those of white supremacists. Shapiro, who is Jewish, has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while remaining a staunch supporter of Israel.
Osama Siblani, publisher of Dearborn-based Arab American News and a prominent leader of Michigan's large Muslim community, was among those who met with White House adviser Tom Perez in Michigan last week.
Although Perez was in the state on official business, he has reached out to some Dearborn leaders since he and other top officials traveled there with Biden to improve relations with the community.
Ciblani said he met with Perez for more than an hour on July 29 and told him he would “shut down” future conversations if Harris chose Shapiro.
Not selecting Shapiro is a very good move. Siblani, who along with Hammoud stressed that any meaningful dialogue must include political discussions.
Duel programs
Trump, by choosing Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, as his deputy, has emphasized on appealing to voters in the Midwest states. Even with his appearances in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday, Vance held the Harris-Wallace ticket.
Duel's schedules overlapped enough that while Harris was still greeting a group of Girl Scouts who had come to see her off at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Wisconsin, Vance's fighter jet landed nearby and taxied in the distance.
Harris took a group photo with the girls while Vance was walking, and he started walking toward Air Force Two, according to his security detail.
The vice president eventually entered his motorcade and drove away before they could interact. However, given the meticulously planned nature of campaigning, it was unusual for the pair to come so close to doing so on a tarmac.
“I just wanted to check on my future plane,” Vance later told reporters. He also criticized Harris for not taking questions from reporters, although he sometimes answers shouted questions as he boards or leaves his plane for a campaign stop.
“We actually saw the vice president's plane,” Vance later told the crowd at the Eau Claire event, then joked to reporters traveling with him, “I thought they must be alone because Kamala Harris didn't ask any questions. accept.”
“If they want to call me weird, I will,” Vance said in response to the name Walls used to describe him, making the Minnesota governor famous online in the days before Harris was chosen as his running mate. I consider it a badge of honor.
