Kamala Harris says she’s the ‘underdog’ in race against Donald Trump

Firing up a small crowd of union members and leaders in the final stretch of the presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris said her supporters are staring down a tough fight against former President Donald Trump.
“We have 32 days to get this done, and we know this is going to be a very tight race until the very end. And we are the underdog, so we have some work ahead of us,” told the crowd of invited guests that included local unions and Redford Township firefighters.
With absentee voting in Michigan already underway, the polling website 538 shows Harris with a 1.6 percentage point polling average lead over Trump in Michigan as of Oct. 4.
Unite Here coordinator Alicia Weaver, 61, of Detroit, said before the speech at a Redford Township fire station that she doesn’t pay attention to the polls showing a close race between Harris and Trump. The union’s canvassing efforts she said indicated strong enthusiasm for Harris.
“Everybody is Kamala, Kamala, Kamala,” she said.
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In her roughly 15-minute address, Harris emphasized her commitment to lowering costs, cutting taxes for the middle class and building new housing. She described herself as a strong advocate for organized labor while characterizing Trump as an enemy of unions.
“This is a man who has been a union buster his entire career,” she said. “We will not be gaslighted. Donald Trump’s track record is a disaster for working people.”
“He is an existential threat to America’s labor movement,” Harris added.
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Ahead of Harris’ speech, Team Michigan Communications Director Victoria LaCivita blamed Harris for rising prices and illegal border crossings while describing a target for electric vehicle sales as a ban on gas cars. “Kamala Harris is out of touch, dangerously liberal, and wrong for Michigan,” she said in a statement Friday.
Harris is scheduled to hold a rally in Flint Friday evening.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.
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