Entering election year, Biden focuses on Black, Latino audience in Milwaukee visit

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- In his third visit to Wisconsin this year, President Joe Biden targeted his message to Black and Latino voters who traditionally support Democratic candidates in this battleground state.

Less than 11 months before the 2024 presidential election, Biden touted his administration's efforts to create more Black and Latino-owned businesses and to support key infrastructure initiatives, such as replacing lead water pipes.

To once again win Wisconsin, avoiding voter apathy in Milwaukee will be critical for Biden since four of the last six presidential elections here were decided by less than one percentage point, including Biden's win in 2020.

Biden spoke for less than 20 minutes at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce. He was introduced by Rashawn Spivey, whose business, Hero Plumbing, has received contracts from the city of Milwaukee to replace lead service lines.

In tandem with Biden's visit, the White House announced Milwaukee was one of 22 finalists eligible to win between $20 million and $50 million from a $190 million pot set aside for business aid.

Milwaukee's proposal is for the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, which covers a slice of the city's north side between N. 27th and 35th streets from east to west and between W. Hampton Ave. and W. Highland Blvd. from north to south.

Milwaukee is a finalist to receive as much as $50 million in federal aid, which the city would dedicate to the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, a part of the north side that once was bursting with manufacturing jobs.

"Decades of discrimination and trickle-down economics left communities like this one behind," Biden said. "But today, we're making sure Milwaukee is coming back and all of Milwaukee coming back."

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson was one of the speakers ahead of Biden Wednesday. Speaking to reporters after the event, Johnson said receiving tens of millions dollars would have a "transformative" effect on the area through the creation of new manufacturing jobs.

"When neighborhoods are stable and folks are not moving around, they're not transient, the neighborhoods are not porous, that's when neighborhoods begin to gel," Johnson said. "They become cohesive. You watch each other's kids grow up; it becomes familial."

Biden's economic challenge: Inflation effects

The president's visit to Milwaukee came at a time when his polling numbers were trending in the wrong direction.

A November survey from the Marquette Law School found 57% of Wisconsin voters disapproved of Biden's performance, compared to 42% who said they approved.

On a press call Wednesday, state Republicans noted Wisconsin's place as one of the key battlegrounds in presidential elections.

"Wisconsin is not one of 50 states next year; the truth is we're one of five," Brian Schimming, the state party's chairman, said.

Schimming joined Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Bryan Steil in slamming Biden's economic record.

The congressmen focused on inflation, which continues to frustrate consumers as they deal with everyday goods costing considerably more than they used to.

While the current inflation rate of 3.2% is closer to the Fed's target of 2%, the lingering effects from the spike that covered much of 2021 and 2022, when the inflation rate peaked at 8.9%, have left prices considerably higher than they were pre-pandemic.

"Even though inflation is down, that damage has been done," Johnson said. "It is permanent, and wages aren't keeping up with the Biden inflation."

Rebecca Neumann, an economics professor at UW-Milwaukee, said inflation is a valid concern, especially for working-class families who see a larger portion of their income cover the higher costs of essentials like groceries.

She noted real wages are rising as a whole, but just how much someone's income has grown can vary quite a bit.

"The wage gains may be spread across different people differently," Neumann said.

During his speech, Biden noted the entire industrial world was dealing with sharp inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic. He then pivoted to slam Republicans, specifically Johnson, for votes against the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the CHIPS and Science Act.

"We're fighting to lower costs to give folks just a little bit more breathing room, as my dad used to say," Biden said. "But let's be clear: Republicans are against so many actions that help working and middle-class people, especially Black Americans."

Latest on lead pipe replacement

During Wednesday's speech, the president noted how the bipartisan infrastructure law includes $15 billion for lead pipe replacement. Next year, Wisconsin will get $74.1 million to replace lead service lines; of that amount, Milwaukee will get $30 million.

Biden touted the work of Hero Plumbing, a Black-owned business that has been among the contractors replacing lead pipes in Milwaukee.

The company's owner, Spivey, noted Hero has replaced about 600 lead pipes, mainly at child care centers.

On the whole, Milwaukee still has nearly 70,000 lead pipes remaining. While Biden promoted the White House's goal of having all lead pipes replaced within 10 years, that wouldn't happen in Milwaukee, even if the city quadrupled its current pace.

In fact, the city needs to more than triple its current replacement rate in order to meet Johnson's goal of replacing the nearly 70,000 remaining lead pipes over the next 20 years.

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