Ricardo Torres
The Kamala Harris campaign has focused on winning blue collar workers, and it got a boost on Tuesday from Diamond Discs International president Ugo Nwagbaraocha during a visit by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
"My parents came here from their native Nigeria because it is the land of opportunity," Nwagbaraocha said. "I'm voting for Vice President Kamala Harris in November because she is building an opportunity economy that ensures this country remains true to that principal."
Tuesday afternoon, Nwagbaraocha gave Emhoff and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo a tour of the Diamond Discs facility in Milwaukee.
Emhoff started his remarks by recognizing the Iranian missile attack against Israel and the devastation in the southeast caused by Hurricane Helene saying Harris is "committed to being with these communities for the long haul far beyond the emergency response phase."
"The work of building local economies will take a long time and Kamala has made clear that she will be there with them in the long haul," Emhoff said.
Emhoff visited Diamond Discs while Republican candidate Donald Trump made two stops in Wisconsin.
The dueling stops by the campaign came ahead of a debate between the two vice presidential candidates, Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz.
As both campaign hustle to sway voters, Wisconsin has become a major battleground for Republicans and Democrats.
Nwagbarocha, who is also on the board of the National Association of Minority Contractors and president of the Wisconsin chapters of the association, said Harris has kept minority owned businesses in mind with legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
"This is dear to my heart. I've been heartened to see this administration focus on making sure their investments go toward revitalizing underserved, underrepresented communities including the 6th Street corridor, right here in Milwaukee," Nwagbarocha said. "This administration has remained consistent on making sure that, intentionally, diverse businesses have access, they have visibility and they have resources to make sure they can participate on these major infrastructure projects."
Nwagbarocha went on to say that Trump "did nothing to help businesses like mine" when he was in office.
He then took a shot at the Foxconn Technology Group project in Mount Pleasant.
"They have a little project south of here called weasel-conn, I'm sorry, excuse me," Nwagbarocha said jokingly. "Foxconn, I think was the name of it, that was a scam to Wisconsin citizens, to Wisconsin taxpayers."
Foxconn broke ground in Racine County in 2018 with the promise of 13,000 jobs in the state and $10 billion worth of investment. In the years since, the company fell way short of that goal and much of the land is now controlled by Microsoft.
"Kamal Harris, she is a capitalist, she is pro-growth, she's pro-innovation, pro-technology, she's pro-business but she also supports workers," Emhoff said. "All of these things can be true at the same time... this is how you build an economy that works for everyone."
After the rally at Diamond Discs, Emhoff went to Sherman Phoenix Marketplace to get some dessert from Baked Dreams Bakery and Cafe.
Emhoff asked owner Tamesha Patrice how she got started in the business.
"My mom and my grandmother they were the ones that kind of let me use their kitchen and let me do all the things that I wanted to do," Patrice said.
Emhoff bought cupcakes and cookies to bring back to Washington, D.C.
Patrice cautioned him not to "snack" on the treats on the way back.
"You might accidently eat it all," Patrice told Emhoff. "And I don't want to be a part of that."
In response to Emhoff’s visit, Jacob Fischer, communications director for the Trump campaign in Wisconsin, said:
"No visit from Doug Emhoff can conceal the reality that the dangerously liberal Harris-Walz agenda will be one that Wisconsinites simply can't afford. Emhoff has stood on the sidelines for four years of failure, and it's time to retire his Second Gentleman title. President Trump and JD Vance will lower taxes, empower our businesses, and put hardworking Americans first, while Harris and Walz advance dangerously liberal policies and bankrupt our country. In November, Wisconsinites will vote to restore our country and send President Donald J. Trump back to the White House."
This story was updated to change or add a photo or video.
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