President Joe Biden will head to two blue-collar cities, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, for Labor Day as he seeks to build momentum for Democrats as the midterm election campaign enters the home stretch.
Testing his modest rebound in the polls, Biden will show off his trademark appeal to factory workers, a key demographic as Democrats seek to cling to control of the Senate and dream of even holding the House of Representatives.
“In both cities, the President will celebrate Labor Day and the dignity of American workers,” the White House said in a statement.
Both states have races for governor and U.S. Senate.
In Wisconsin, Democrats are trying to reelect Gov. Tony Evers and oust Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. His Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, has highlighted his middle-class background and parents’ union membership. Evers faces Republican Tim Michels, who co-owns the state’s largest construction firm.
The AFL-CIO has endorsed the Democrats in both Pennsylvania races: state Attorney General Josh Shapiro running for governor against state Sen. Doug Mastriano and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman running for Senate against heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Aside from boosting Democratic allies, Biden will surely tout his recent string of political and policy victories, including passage of the long-stalled Inflation Reduction Act and his executive action to write off $10,000 in student loan debt. He’s also benefiting from easing inflation numbers and falling prices of gas at the pump.
The president will also likely remind voters that Republican-appointed judges have gutted women’s right to choose abortion, an issue that is looming as a giant elephant in the November room.
After a miserable first half of the year, Biden and Democrats have gone on a roll in recent weeks, especially since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Democrats have notched several impressive performances in recent special congressional elections, including an upset win last week by Pat Ryan in Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado’s old Hudson Valley, New York, swing district.
Fetterman, who is recovering from a near-fatal stroke just before he won the primary, holds a significant lead over Oz, who has stumbled repeatedly.
Both Democrats will need to score outsized wins in cities and overcome the GOP-leaning rural areas and small towns.
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