Harris' pick of Walz amps up excitement in Midwestern states where Democrats look to heal divisions

LANSING, Mich. -- Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are spending their first full day as running mates Wednesday rallying Democrats across the Midwest, a politically divided region that is crucial to their effort to win the White House in less than three months.

The trip, which begins in Wisconsin before shifting to Michigan, is aimed at shoring up support among the younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters who were instrumental in helping President Joe Biden win the 2020 election. But that coalition showed signs of fraying over the summer, particularly in Michigan, which has emerged as a focal point of Democratic divisions over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

With Biden now out of the race and Harris officially the Democratic nominee, leaders of the Arab American community and key unions say they are encouraged by the running mate choice. Walz’s addition to the ticket has soothed some tensions, signaling to some community leaders that Harris heard concerns about another leading contender for the vice presidential slot, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who they felt had gone too far in his support for Israel.

“The party is recognizing that there’s a coalition they have to rebuild,” said Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan. “Picking Walz is another sign of good faith.”

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat seeking a third term, appeared with Harris at a campaign stop there last month in suburban Milwaukee, and said in a fundraising email Tuesday morning that she was “thrilled to see a fellow Midwesterner at the top of the ticket.”

Donald Trump had put a similar emphasis on appealing to voters in Midwestern states with his choice of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice presidential pick. Vance is bracketing the Harris-Walz ticket with appearances in the same states on Wednesday.

The Republican started his day in Shelby Township, Michigan, and then planned to head to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the same city where the Democratic candidates were to appear at a rally with the indie folk band Bon Iver.

Vance used his Michigan appearance to blame Harris for illegal immigration that he says is leading to more crime. It was an attempt to hit Harris on an issue that motivates Republican-leaning voters as well as a pushback against Walz, who in his Tuesday speech in Philadelphia stressed that violent crime had been higher during Trump's presidency.

“We’ve got to throw Kamala Harris out of office, not give her a promotion,” Vance said, arguing that the former prosecutor was not on the side of police.

Republicans are trying to portray Harris and Walz as too liberal for the Midwest, with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., saying on a conference call that Walz is “part of the radical, crazy left as is Vice President Harris.”

In Michigan, leaders say Democratic enthusiasm has surged since Harris announced her candidacy.

That could be pivotal in Detroit, which is nearly 80% Black, where leaders for months had warned administration officials that voter apathy could cost them in a city that's typically a stronghold for their party. Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the NAACP Detroit branch, said the excitement in the city now is “mind-blowing.” He likened it to Barack Obama's first run for president in 2008, when voters waited in long lines to help elect the nation's first Black president.

But some Democratic leaders in Michigan had grown concerned that choosing the wrong running mate could slow that momentum and fracture a coalition that has only recently started to unify.

Arab American leaders, who hold s ignificant influence in Michigan due to a large presence in metro Detroit, had been vocal in their opposition to Shapiro due to his past comments regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Those leaders specifically pointed to a comment he made earlier this year regarding protests on university campuses, which they felt unfairly compared the actions of 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.

"It’s certainly not antisemitic to critique somebody’s position on Israeli policy,” Hammoud said. “That’s just called stewardship and accountability.”

In addition to expressing those concerns publicly, leaders had also made their feelings known privately to the White House and Harris’ team.

Osama Siblani, the publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News and a prominent leader in 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 maintained contact with some Dearborn leaders since he and other top officials traveled there with Biden in an effort to mend ties with the community.

Siblani said he met with Perez for over an hour on July 29 and told him that if Harris chose Shapiro, it would “shut down” future conversations. He also conveyed this message to Democratic lawmakers in Congress, including Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell.

Pushback from Arab Americans and union leaders was “not the only reason why she did not pick Shapiro, but it is one of the major reasons,” said Siblani.

“Not picking Shapiro is a very good step. It cracks the door open a little more for us,” said Siblani, who along with Hammoud emphasized that any meaningful conversations must include policy discussions.

Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish, was excited by the prospect of having Shapiro as a vice presidential candidate but was “disturbed” by the criticism he received, believing that many of the vetted candidates had similar views on Israel. He said he didn't believe the criticism played a role in Harris' decision and that “she’s choosing somebody based on this long game of who she can work with for four to eight years.”

Still, Moss said he is glad the Harris-Walz ticket is not divisive and that the feeling of unity among Democrats is “palpable on the ground.”

The nation's largest auto workers' union, the United Auto Workers, also watched the vice presidential choice carefully.

They moved to endorse Harris quickly after she stepped in to replace Biden, and UAW President Shawn Fain said publicly that she had a right to choose her own running mate. But he also said the union, which has 370,000 members and a huge presence in Michigan and other Midwestern states, didn't favor Shapiro, who had previously joined with Pennsylvania Republicans in calling for an expansion of voucher programs that allow public tax dollars to flow to private schools.

Fain had singled out Walz — in addition to other candidates — for praise in an interview with The Associated Press on Aug. 2, saying the Minnesota governor was a “brilliant guy, sharp guy.” In a statement Tuesday, Fain said Walz will make a “great vice president” and that he has “stood with the working class every step of the way.”

Dingell, a Democrat with deep connections in Dearborn who has brokered some of the conversations between Biden administration officials and leaders of core constituencies in Michigan, echoed those sentiments Tuesday. She said the choice of Walz would only ramp up excitement at Wednesday's rally in Detroit.

“We got somebody from the Midwest, from the heartland, that really understands our issues,” said Dingell. “And he will be a partner to her. She won’t have to look over her shoulder every two minutes. He will be a total, true partner.”

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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Meg Kinnard in Shelby Township, Michigan, Tom Krisher in Detroit and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan contributed to this report.