Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz rallies union vote at Milwaukee Laborfest

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz returned to Milwaukee on Labor Day to speak to union members at Laborfest, addressing a key Democratic constituency in his first visit to the battleground state of Wisconsin since receiving Democrats' formal nomination for vice president.

Walz, who Vice President Kamala Harris selected as her running mate last month, praised the Biden-Harris administration as "the most pro-union administration in American history" while addressing the festival in the sunny mid-afternoon.

"We know exactly who built this country. It was labor that built this country," Walz told the crowd. "When unions are strong, America is strong."

More: Press vans following Tim Walz's motorcade were involved in a crash in Milwaukee

Walz, a former teacher and principal, said he's faced attacks throughout his political career for being a dues-paying member of unions and supporting them.

"They said, 'Tim is in the pocket of organized labor.' I said, 'That's a damn lie. I am the pocket,'" the governor and former congressman said. "If you want to attack me for standing up for collective bargaining for fair wages, for safe working conditions, for health care and retirement, you roll the damn dice. I'll take my chances on that."

More: Both Trump and Harris claim to support the working class: Where do they stand on labor?

Hundreds of people gathered Monday at Henry Maier Festival Grounds along Lake Michigan for live music, children's entertainment and a classic car show.

The event is put on each year by the Milwaukee Area Labor Council and has hosted Democratic candidates and presidents before. President Joe Biden spoke there in 2022. Barack Obama appeared there three times, first as a candidate in 2008 and then as president in 2010 and 2014. President Bill Clinton spoke at Laborfest in 1996.

In a statement, Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming said “while Democrats talk a big game, Republicans have a proven record of delivering real results for Wisconsin workers.”

“Tim Walz and Kamala Harris have nothing to offer workers but another term of higher costs and lower wages. Under President Trump, blue-collar families flourished thanks to pro-worker trade deals like the USMCA, low inflation, and booming wages,” Schimming said.

The Harris-Walz campaign spent Labor Day in several battleground states. Harris was set to travel to Detroit, Michigan, then join Biden in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff was scheduled to attend a Labor Day event in Newport News, Virginia.

Labor unions were a focus at both parties' conventions

Walz's stop in Milwaukee is his first since the Democratic National Convention in late August, where unions were a major focus. Several major union presidents took the stage, including United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain. Biden, in his speech, said he was proud to "be labeled the most pro-union president in history."

After the DNC, Wisconsin union leaders expressed support for Harris and Walz, highlighting policies like infrastructure funding that support jobs and apprenticeships.

Before Walz took the stage on Monday, Rich Kangas, an Ironworkers Local 8 Union member, praised Harris for supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Known as the PRO Act, which would give workers more power to organize, and has passed the House multiple times. Harris has said as president, she would sign it into law. Walz reiterated that pledge on Monday.

Kangas also praised Harris for having walked a picket line — something Biden also did, becoming the first president to do so.

More: At DNC, Wisconsin union leaders push back on Republican moves to push to court labor

But Republicans tried to connect with unions at their convention as well. Teamsters president Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the first time the union's leader had done so in over 120 years.

Several major unions like the National Education Association, of which Walz was a member when he was a teacher, have thrown their support behind Harris. In an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, O'Brien said the Teamsters — which has about half-and-half Republican and Democratic membership, he said — are waiting to make an endorsement until Harris meets with them.

O'Brien said the Teamsters reached out to both conventions at the same time, and the RNC responded immediately. He said "rank and file members, who have been lifelong Democrats, are not happy" that O'Brien was not invited to speak at the DNC.

More: Teamsters chief's RNC speech turned heads. Here's the take from union nemesis Scott Walker

Harris, Trump campaigns are visiting Wisconsin frequently

The Walzes' visit to Wisconsin is part of a continuous swing of campaign activity in the battleground state. Biden is set to visit southwestern Wisconsin on Thursday. Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Mosinee on Saturday, after holding a town hall last week in La Crosse.

Both campaigns have recently spent time in western Wisconsin, home to the competitive 3rd Congressional District that borders Minnesota and is represented by U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden. In a call hosted by the Trump campaign Monday morning, Van Orden said only about a quarter of residents have a four-year degree.

“That says that we are working men and women here in the 3rd Congressional District,” he said. “We voted for Trump twice, and we’ll vote for him again out here in southwestern Wisconsin, because we understand how important it is to get someone who’s actually run a business back in the White House.”

At Laborfest, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin recounted Wisconsin's history in the labor movement, and highlighted her efforts to pass the PRO Act.

"Wisconsin is home to the best workers in the world," said U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is running for reelection against Republican candidate Eric Hovde. "And we make just about everything from paper to engines, from tools to ships and from beer to brats and cheese and more, and our workers do so much to keep our 'made in Wisconsin' economy going strong, and to keep our state moving forward."

Gov. Tony Evers also gave brief remarks, noting that both he and Walz are former union members and praised the Minnesota governor's labor policies.

"And Wisconsin, you all know what happens when you elect a former teacher, don't you? We get shit done," Evers said.

Walz, who was joined Monday by Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz, has visited Wisconsin two other times since being named Harris' running mate. Harris and Walz held rally in Eau Claire, and packed Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee during the second night of the DNC. Labor Day is the first solo campaign stop for Walz in the state.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: VP candidate Tim Walz rallies union vote at Milwaukee Laborfest