Plan today, time, place, road closures

Vice President Kamala Harris heads to Philadelphia on Tuesday to deliver the keynote speech at a union convention in Center City.

This is Harris’ second trip to the Philadelphia region this month. Harris joined just two weeks ago Abbott Elementary School star Sheryl Lee Ralph in Montgomery County during an event to highlight the fight for reproductive rights following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Tuesday’s visit follows news that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will debate twice before the 2024 election: June 27 in Atlanta on CNN and September 10 on ABC at a location to be determined.

Harris has agreed to participate in the vice presidential debate on CBS, which will take place later this summer on July 23 or August 13 after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The Trump campaign says it has accepted a separate invitation to host the vice presidential debate from Fox News on the same dates, although Trump has not yet announced his running mate.

Here’s everything you need to know about Harris’ trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday:

Why is Kamala Harris in Philadelphia today?

Harris is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Service Workers International Union’s 2024 international convention, which takes place every four years. This year’s meeting is being held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City.

The vice president’s speech comes after the 103-year-old union elected April Verrett as its first black president on Monday. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents approximately 2 million workers nationwide working in health care, public services, janitorial services and security, and pledged to spend $200 million to support Biden and other Democrats in the 2024 elections.

“The reality is that the stakes are so high for working people that we put our money where our mouth is,” he added. Verrett told the Washington Post in March.

Harris chairs the White House task force on organizing and empowering workers. Around this time last year, Harris participated in a moderated conversation with SEIU’s international board of directors in Philadelphia, during which she promoted a proposal to augment pay for personal care workers and home health aides.

The vice president’s visit is taking place, as early polls show Biden faces erosion of support among Black and Latino voters nationally and in Pennsylvania. While Biden still leads among Black and Latino voters, his appeal has declined since 2020, when the group formed a significant part of his coalition. SEIU is known as a powerful political organizing union, and about a quarter of the union’s members are Latino and another 24% are Black.

Will there be any road closures on I-95 or elsewhere?

The vice president’s speaking schedule has not yet been announced, although she is expected to deliver her speech before noon.

I-95 north and south will likely be closed to and from the airport in Center City. A Philadelphia police spokesman said delays and closures are expected in the immediate vicinity of the Convention Center.

This will be Harris’ fourth trip to Pennsylvania this year.

Harris was no stranger to Pennsylvania, one of five key states that could decide the 2024 presidential election between Biden and Trump.

Today’s trip is her third trip to the Philadelphia region this year and her fourth to Pennsylvania. Since being sworn in as vice president, she has traveled to the Commonwealth 14 times, according to the campaign.

Harris’ other trips to Pennsylvania this year included:

Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.