Democratic governors, including Wisconsin’s Tony Evers, hit campaign trail for Kamala Harris, looking to shore up ‘blue wall’

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The Democratic governors of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania this week embarked on a swiftly organized bus tour, rolling through the autumn landscape to press the urgency of the case for Vice President Kamala Harris in must-win states.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were in La Crosse on Tuesday. Two days later, the two, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, all descended on Flint, Mich., joined by the chairman of the national Democratic Party, Jaime Harrison.

In a joint interview with The Associated Press, all three acknowledged the enormity of the stakes but dismissed any suggestion that their effort reflected anything other than the need to have all hands engaged in the fight.

“All three of us know what it’s like to compete and win really tough, close races,” said Shapiro. “So I think the more we can get out there and not only thank volunteers for being here today, we can also maybe calm some nerves too.”

At an indoor farmer’s market in Flint, signs of an event that came together quickly were hard to miss. Music blared from an iPhone after the venue’s sound system failed. One attendee, Debbie McIntosh, said she received a “last-minute invitation yesterday.”

“I was surprised, I just thought Gov. Whitmer was going to be here. I didn’t know Shapiro and the governor of Wisconsin were going to be here,” said McIntosh, from the nearby city of Grand Blanc.

While winning the three “blue wall” states — so named because they have long represented crucial elements of the Democratic Party’s path to victory — isn’t Harris’ only way to win, it is her clearest based on recent elections. But she faces challenges in each, including concerns about Black voter turnout in the largest cities — Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia — and growing frustration over the Israel-Hamas war, which has angered both Arab American and Jewish voters.

Harris has worked hard to address the concerns, and she is intensifying her campaign schedule in the region. She plans to spend nearly the entire week in the blue wall states, ending with multiple events in Michigan on Friday and Saturday.

No one knows how to win these states better than their Democratic governors, all of whom won reelection in 2022.

Whitmer, the co-chair of Harris’ campaign, said that the idea came up on a call between the governors and Harris’ campaign. Whitmer is funding and organizing the tour.

“When it became clear that the whole world’s going to be focused on our three states, I said what can we do that’s going to be helpful, that’s going to motivate people?” she said. “And I said, hey, what do you think of the bus tour?”

The tour kicked off Monday in Wausau, Wisconsin, before making its way across the state and arriving in Michigan on Wednesday. It will continue to Pennsylvania over the weekend.

Addressing the Michigan crowd, the three governors emphasized the high stakes of the 2024 presidential race, each in their own style: Whitmer and Shapiro took a flashier approach, while Evers commanded the room in quieter tones.

Less spoken but not well hidden was the fact that each was staking a lot on the outcome. They know the importance of delivering their states for Harris, and the possible consequences of serving as governor under a president who has vowed to seek retribution against his political opponents looms over the campaign.

Whitmer and Shapiro, both once considered potential vice presidential picks before Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, also have their own political futures at stake, win or lose. Both have been mentioned as future presidential contenders themselves, though their prospects could be diminished by defeat in the states they preside over.

“When we ask the question, how did you beat back the red wave in 2022? You’re looking at it,” said Harrison, the DNC chair. “These three governors right here had three of the toughest races in that midterm election in the three battleground states that will determine this presidential election.”

Winning these states depends on reuniting a Democratic coalition that has been strained, particularly among Jewish and Arab American communities over the Israel-Hamas war. While Harris can address these issues on a national scale, the governors have strong connections within their communities.

Whitmer has kept close ties with Arab American and Jewish leaders in metro Detroit, working to ease tensions amid the ongoing war. While some Arab American leaders have cut off contact with Democrats over the tensions, Whitmer’s long-standing relationships in Dearborn have kept dialogue open on both state and national issues, says Osama Siblani, publisher of Arab American News.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, also said he has remained in close contact with Jewish and Arab Americans and is hopeful that each community “is able to have enough capacity in our hearts to hold everyone’s pain and understand that this hurts everyone, and that we all want to see an end to this war.”

“There’s all sorts of thorny things going on in the world today,” Evers said. “Absolutely. Those things don’t stop because the U.S. is having an election.

“But who’s best to take care of those problems? It’s Kamala Harris. It is not somebody that’s going to come in shooting from the hip, thinking he’s is going to come in like a bull moose and take care of all problems.”