Harris campaign launches small business battleground tour in a play for Latino, Black voters

• Harris campaign surrogates are planning a series of campaign stops with small businesses in at least six battleground states this week, according to a preview of the announcement first obtained by CNBC.
• The campaign tour, titled "Small Business for Harris-Walz," is billed in part as an appeal to Black and Latino communities, key voter demographics that were essential to Democrats' 2020 victory but have begun to slip in favor of Donald Trump this election cycle.
• This campaign push will aim to draw a contrast between Harris and Trump, along with highlighting the vice president's proposals like giving small businesses a $50,000 startup tax deduction.

Harris campaign surrogates are planning a series of stops with small businesses in at least six battleground states this week, according to a preview of the announcement first obtained by CNBC on Tuesday.

Harris will not be attending these specific events herself. The campaign said "elected officials" and "community leaders" will go in her place, but did not specify who the surrogates will be.

The campaign tour, titled "Small Business for Harris-Walz," is billed in part as an appeal to Black and Latino communities, key voter demographics that were essential to Democrats' 2020 victory but have begun to slip in favor of Republican nominee Donald Trump this election cycle.

Trump has been working to capitalize on that momentum.

"If you're Black or Hispanic, thank you very much, vote for Trump. You'll be in good shape," he said at a Georgia rally last Tuesday.

This week's small business tour is the Harris campaign's latest effort to quell Trump's gains.

President Joe Biden ran a similar playbook when he was expected to be the Democratic presidential nominee before he dropped out of