Harris’ struggles with Michigan’s working class voters provides opening for Trump, GOP

Republicans in Michigan are attempting to capitalize on Vice President Kamala Harris’ struggles with blue-collar voters in the state, a demographic that has traditionally supported Democrats but has been trending in the direction of former President Donald Trump.

“Michigan’s working class isn’t fooled by Kamala Harris’ word salads and dog and pony shows. Her policies, like the radical Green New Deal, are anti-worker,” Team Trump Michigan Communications Director Victoria LaCivita told Fox News Digital. “Her attack on American energy has made the cost of living unaffordable, and her plan to ban gas-powered cars will decimate the backbone of our economy.”

The comments come as the race to win Michigan, a vital swing state in the upcoming election, heats up, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing Harris with just a slim 0.5 point lead in the state with just under four weeks to go before the election.

Republicans have hit the state repeatedly in recent weeks, with both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, making several appearances in the state.

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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

Those appearances come as Michigan Democrats have begun to worry about the vice president’s prospects in the state, with some imploring her to visit the state more frequently as the race hits the home stretch.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, prominent Michigan Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have made appeals to the Harris campaign to focus on the state more as the election draws to a close. They have also warned Harris to sharpen her economic messaging, the report notes, with fears spreading that Trump has done well to court the state’s working class voters.

Harris has struggled to distance herself from past positions that remain unpopular in the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, including her previous support for transitioning fully to zero-emissions vehicles by 2035 and a ban on fracking.

Those concerns were also highlighted by an internal poll shared with the Wall Street Journal that was conducted by Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s campaign that showed Harris down by three points in Wisconsin, another key Midwestern state with similar voting habits to Michigan.

“The big thing is people don’t know her—they need to see more of her,” former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, a Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Republicans believe that is because Harris has failed in her outreach to the types of workers that have now started gravitating toward Trump.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital that Harris’ message does not “resonate with working class voters” such as those in the upper Midwest, something that could also help down-ballot Republicans in the critical swing states.

Harris’ struggles have also extended to union members, a group that has long been a stronghold for Democrats in the state. However, an internal poll conducted by Teamsters, one of the country’s largest and most influential unions, found that members in Michigan preferred Trump (61.7%) over Harris (35.2%), while national union leaders declined to make an endorsement in this year’s presidential race, despite supporting President Biden’s campaign in 2020.

Harris also failed to gain the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which also supported Biden in 2020, though she did gain the support of both United Auto Workers and the Service Employees International Union.

President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O’Brien speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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“The Teamsters’ own polling shows exactly what we knew – that rank and file Michigan Teamsters are supporting President Trump and his pro-worker policies,” LaCivita said. “While local chapter leadership refuses to disrupt the status quo, the Michiganders who make up these chapters want strong leadership that will protect their jobs, lower inflation, and support American industries – and that’s President Donald J. Trump.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.