Harris Returns to Pittsburgh with Manufacturing Focus

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to unveil her manufacturing policy on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, a city known for its steel industry in a state seen as key to the upcoming presidential election. The stakes are high, as Harris seeks to convince undecided voters in swing states that her economic vision is the right path for the future. Her speech will be a pivotal moment in her campaign, and the spotlight will be on her.

Harris intends to focus on her economic philosophy, describing it as "pragmatic" rather than ideological, her campaign said. She will pledge to work with the private sector and entrepreneurs, a strategy that aims to appeal to a broad spectrum of voters. Her approach is a stark contrast to her Republican opponent, who has campaigned on a more traditional conservative platform.

Harris will also use the speech to try to draw a contrast with former President Donald Trump, painting herself as a product of the middle class while her Republican opponent came from wealth. "For Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers. Not those who build them. Not those who wire them. Not those who mop the floors,” Harris plans to say, according to a senior campaign official granted anonymity to describe a speech still being finalized.

With early voting starting, and only 40 days left before Election Day, both Harris and Trump are trying to reach undecided voters in swing states. This will be Harris' eighth visit to Pennsylvania since she started running for president in July. She spent a few days in Pittsburgh earlier this month while preparing for her debate against Trump. Trump was in Georgia — another battleground state — on Tuesday, and said if elected he would lower the tax rate for manufacturers, cut regulation, hike tariffs on imported goods, and offer federal land to manufacturers.

When it comes to the economy, most polls have shown that Trump has had an edge on Harris. But it's a smaller lead on the issue than he had over President Biden. President Biden focused his economic policy on manufacturing, building on some of Trump's policies by using tariffs and subsidies to try to bring companies back from overseas. But those measures failed to gain traction in polls, which showed voters blamed Biden for the high cost of living. To date in her campaign, Harris has focused on ideas to cut costs for housing and families and give incentives to small businesses. Her campaign has said it believes voters are less interested in hearing detailed policy proposals than they are about Harris' priorities and vision.