Harris seeks to take fight to Trump with address in battleground state of Wisconsin

WASHINGTON

Likely Democratic nominee Kamala Harris sought to take the fight to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, on Tuesday, holding her first battleground state political rally as she sought to build messaging for her nascent presidential election campaign.

Harris told supporters that her team has determined she has already accumulated the support needed among Democratic delegates to secure the party's nomination ahead of the Aug. 19 - 21 party convention, raising the alarm about policies Trump said he would pursue if he wins reelection in November, and seeking to form a contrast with her political agenda.

"We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity, not just to get by, but to get ahead, a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every worker has the freedom to join a union, where every person has affordable health care, affordable childcare and paid family leave. We believe in a future where every senior can retire with dignity. So, all of this is to say, building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency," she said in remarks delivered before a throng of supporters near Milwaukee -- Wisconsin's commercial capital. "Donald Trump wants to take our country backward."

"We're not going back, because ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom. For generations, and we have to remember this, the shoulders on which we stand, generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom, and now Wisconsin, the baton is in our hands," she added.

Harris sought to demonstrate the importance of the state for November's polls, saying "the path to the White House goes through Wisconsin," and vowed to spend the coming weeks "continuing to unite our party so that we are ready to win in November."

Trump held a significant three-point lead against US President Joe Biden in Wisconsin before the commander-in-chief dropped out of the race. It is unclear how Harris' likely nomination will affect the race.

Harris' address in Wisconsin is her first major political speech after US President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would not be seeking reelection, throwing his weight behind his vice president as she seeks the Democratic nomination.

But Biden’s decision to endorse Harris is not binding, as delegates are now free to vote for a candidate of their choice. But Harris' campaign has maintained that she has secured the support of enough delegates to win the nomination outright.

The Democratic National Committee's rules panel is set to convene Wednesday for a monumental session that is slated to establish the framework for how the party will select its nominee.