Raising the minimum wage is the key to the White House for Kamala Harris
We can’t unsee it: former President Trump visited a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, donned an apron, and served fries to supporters in an effort to pose as the friend of the working man. But while it might have made for a decent photo-op, Trump’s visit highlights a glaring weakness that the Harris campaign should exploit: his stance on the minimum wage.
When asked by reporters whether he supports increasing the minimum wage, Trump dodged the question and danced away from the conversation. His silence should not surprise anyone — he’s never supported raising the minimum wage, either as a candidate or as president. Trump’s promise to improve the lives of working Americans is exactly like the McDonald’s where he pretended to work: empty.
Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted support for raising the minimum wage in her initial economic plans. But with the race in a dead heat she needs to do more. This is a perfect opportunity to double down and reach millions of working-class voters and focus her campaign on a concrete message of economic opportunity.
When so many voters fear that the economy is not working for them, Kamala Harris has an answer: Give low-wage workers a raise.
It’s a move with enormous upside. Raising the minimum wage is insanely popular; more than 80 percent of voters think it should be higher, and nearly two-thirds of voters, including 64 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans, think it should be at least $15 an hour. The minimum wage is so popular that, when it’s on the ballot, it outperforms both Democrats or Republicans. Since 1996, each time a minimum wage increase has been put to voters via statewide ballot measure, it’s passed. This is true even in red states like Nebraska and Missouri, or Florida, which overwhelmingly voted in favor of a $15 minimum wage the same year it voted for Donald Trump for president.
Perhaps even more important for the Harris campaign, working-class voters in swing states stand to benefit most from a higher federal minimum wage. Currently the minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25 an hour — that’s only $15,000 a year for full-time work. In North Carolina it’s the same, just like in Wisconsin and in Georgia, all key states for the upcoming presidential election.
Millions of people in these states, including people who make more than $15, would get a raise if Harris and a Democratic Congress increased the federal minimum wage — it should be a priority to ensure that voters understand that. If Harris makes this election about higher wages, even if it moves just a few thousand voters in each swing state, she’ll likely win.
It’s late in the campaign, but with so many pundits and voters looking for more from the Haris campaign, this is an ideal issue. Even business owners, the constituency that might be expected to oppose raising the minimum wage, are on board. A full 61 percent of small-business owners support raising the minimum wage, with many high-profile business leaders, like JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, standing alongside them. They may be arriving late, but the business community is moving away from an outdated low-wage model toward one that recognizes that investing in workers isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
My own experience is a good example. As CEO of a struggling healthcare company years ago, I raised the base wage for our employees from $7.25 to $15 an hour. This reduced turnover, increased productivity and turned the company around. I’m not alone — companies like Walmart and Costco have lifted pay for workers in recent years as well.
Trump understands the political power of clear economic signals. One of his more effective political stunts was demanding that his name be printed on COVID stimulus checks (checks that Democrats actually fought for. By taking credit for those checks, he earned support from countless voters who believed the funds were a sign he was actually fighting for their best interests.
The minimum wage is Harris’s opportunity to do the same. Focusing on raising the minimum wage would be a bright blinking signal to millions of American workers that Democrats understand their economic woes, and that politics and politicians can and will help.
If Harris can make the election about the minimum wage, she’ll win in 2024. And if she delivers on those promises as president, she and the Democratic Party will have a lock on working-class Americans for years to come.
John Driscoll is a former healthcare CEO, Walgreens executive and member of The Patriotic Millionaires. He is the co-author of “Pay the People! Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America.”