Kamala Harris to Campaign with Biden in Pittsburgh on Labor Day

Vice President Kamala Harris will join President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh on Monday, marking the pair’s first joint campaign event since Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Pittsburgh visit will be part of Harris’ larger push in key battleground states on Labor Day, aimed at mobilizing union workers who have historically been a key part of the Democratic coalition.

It is also Harris’ second visit to Pittsburgh in about two weeks and her third to Pennsylvania since she received Biden’s endorsement after he withdrew his candidacy in the July 21 election.

Harris’ last visit to Pittsburgh was as part of a tour of western Pennsylvania the day before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The campaign will participate in a variety of events on Monday, including Labor Day parades and events with local union members.

Labor unions have been largely the unwavering strength of the Democratic base. Just days after entering the 2024 presidential race, Harris she gave one of her first speeches as a candidate in Houston before representatives of the American Federation of Teachers, the first union to endorse her before others followed suit.

While questions about Biden’s fitness as a presidential candidate have been raised following Biden’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate, several unions, including the prominent AFL-CIO, supported him until he dropped out of the race. Biden often boasted of being “the most pro-union president in history.”

With Biden no longer on the ballot in November, Republicans see an opportunity to reach white, working-class voters in areas like Scranton, where Biden spent his early years. But delegates from Scranton and across the region reported mighty support for Harris.