In the campaign's final weeks, Harris is keeping a focus on 'blue wall' states

MILWAUKEE (AP) — With three weeks left in the presidential campaign, Democrat Kamala Harris is spending most of her days trying to shore up support in the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as she tries to avoid a repeat of Hillary Clinton’s collapse there eight years ago.

The vice president campaigned at a hockey rink on Monday in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she denounced Republican candidate Donald Trump as “unhinged.” She visited an art gallery in Detroit with actors Don Cheadle, Delroy Lindo and Cornelius Smith. Jr. on Tuesday, then recorded a radio town hall with Charlamagne tha God.

On Wednesday, Harris was back in Pennsylvania to stress allegiance to the Constitution as she stood just steps from the banks of the Delaware River, where George Washington crossed with his troops in a pivotal moment of the Revolutionary War.

Her pace doesn’t let up for the rest of the week. Harris is expected to hold three events in Wisconsin on Thursday, including a meet-and-greet with students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and three more in Michigan on Friday. She then campaigns in Detroit on Saturday.

A loss anywhere in the “blue wall," a name that reflects the region's traditional Democratic leaning, could doom Harris' path to the presidency.

“You don’t take those states for granted. And she’s not,” said Joel Benenson, a Democratic pollster.

He previously served as chief strategist for Clinton, whose campaign was so overconfident that it stopped conducting its own polls in Midwest battlegrounds as the election approached.

“We’ve got a painful lesson in 2016 when we didn’t go to the ‘blue wall’ states, and we lost,” Benenson said.

Harris' campaign emphasized that she’s not giving up on Sun Belt battlegrounds like North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. The vice president was in North Carolina over the weekend and she’s expected to be back in Georgia on Sunday.

But any candidate’s most precious resource is time, and Harris’ schedule reflects the consensus about her most likely shot at winning the White House.

“It’s not the only path, but it’s the easiest path to victory,” said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.

She added, “If you can’t win Pennsylvania or Michigan, do you really think you can win Georgia or North Carolina?”

Pennsylvania and Michigan are Harris' most popular destinations since Labor Day, with eight stops in each state, according to an Associated Press tracking of candidates' public events.

At Harris' event in Washington Crossing on Wednesday, one voter said Democrats had discovered the cost of complacency the hard way.

“In 2016, we thought we had it, you know, we thought we were okay," said Melanie Woods, a retired school principal who came all the way from Brooklyn. "And I don’t think you can ever take anything for granted any more.”

Dan Kanninen, the Harris campaign's battleground states director, said the vice president has “multiple pathways” to win.

“All seven battleground states are in play, and we know each will be incredibly close," he said. "That is why we will continue to engage and mobilize voters aggressively across all these states until Election Day.”

During her campaign travels, Harris is trying to pick strategic areas to talk about key policies, such as promoting auto jobs and union membership in Detroit and going to Douglas, Arizona to unveil plans to tighten rules for immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border after she walked along the towering wall separating the two countries.

The campaign is also increasingly relying on large organizational networks in key states, including coordinated offices with state Democratic parties, to fill in the gaps when Harris isn’t there. It's deploying key surrogates — most notably Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — to lessen the impact of choosing to travel to one part of the country versus the other.

Democrats have other benefits, too. There's a deep bench of high-profile politicians who are united behind Harris, including former President Barack Obama, who has been making campaign stops on her behalf. And there's a campaign war chest larger than Trump's, allowing Harris to keep up the pressure with advertising and expansive get-out-the-vote efforts.

Democrats' electoral odds have ebbed and flowed during this tumultuous election year. President Joe Biden had faced a dwindling path to reelection, with some purple states sliding out of reach. But when he dropped out of the race in July, Harris' team emphasized her potentially broader geographic appeal.

“Vice President Harris enters a tight race, but it is clear that she can bring together a coalition of voters to keep a wide set of states in play,” Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a memo in late July.

But that doesn't mean that some states aren't more important than others.

“You win Pennsylvania, and you’re the next president," Sen. John Fetterman said at Harris' rally in Erie.

Trump's travel is less tightly focused than Harris' this week. He was in Pennsylvania on Monday, Illinois and Georgia on Tuesday and Florida on Wednesday.

He attends the Al Smith charity dinner in New York on Thursday and returns to Detroit on Friday

His previous visit there generated backlash because he criticized the city, which is rebounding after years of financial problems.

“Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president," Trump said during a speech to the Detroit Economic Club.

Tommey Walker, founder and owner of the clothing company Detroit vs. Everybody, derided Trump for disparaging his city while introducing Harris at an event on Tuesday.

“Now it’s Detroit versus Donald Trump," Walker proclaimed.

Harris, by contrast, talked about the city in reverent tones. She recalled making friends with students from Detroit while attending Howard University.

“I just feel a kindred spirit whenever I come to Detroit,” Harris said.

Associated Press video journalist Tassanee Vejpongsa in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak during a campaign rally at Erie Insurance Arena, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris poses for a photo as she visits Norwest Gallery of Art in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, participates in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of iHeartMedia's morning show The Breakfast Club, in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks before being presented a shirt by Detroit vs Everybody co-founders Sean Xavier Williams, left, and Tommey Walker, during a stop at Cred Cafe, a local Detroit small business owned by former NBA players Joe and Jamal Crawford, in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE - Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, with Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, and UAW President Shawn Fain, speaks at a campaign rally at UAW Local 900, Aug. 8, 2024, in Wayne, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, arrives at Trenton-Mercer Airport, in Mercer County, New Jersey, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, en route to a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

LONDON (AP) — Friends, collaborators and fellow musicians expressed shock and sadness Thursday over the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died in Buenos Aires, Argentina Wednesday at age 31.

A look at some of the reactions:

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"We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.'' Statement from Payne's family via spokesperson.

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“Just a boy." Anne Twist, mother of former One Direction bandmate Harry Styles, posted on Instagram with a broken-heart emoji.

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“We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne,” The X Factor’s official account on X, formerly Twitter.

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“I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Liam Payne. It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance. God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed,″ Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones wrote on X.

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“I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone.” Singer Charlie Puth, who wrote a song for Payne’s solo debut album, on Instagram.

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“So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend," Paris Hilton wrote on X.

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"We greatly appreciate the compassion and kindness he always showed to people facing hunger and hardship. His death is a very tragic loss, and our thoughts are with his loved ones.” Emma Revie, chief executive of the U.K. food bank charity Trussell Trust.

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“We are deeply saddened by the news of Liam Payne’s passing. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the many fans who loved and supported him.″ Spotify on X.

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“R.I.P. Liam Payne wow I can’t believe it prayers up for the family.” Rapper Juicy J, who had Payne sing on the 2016 track “You.” Via X.

“RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking.” - Producer and DJ Zedd, who collaborated with Payne on the 2017 song “Get Low.” Via X.

FILE - One Direction's Zayn Malik, from left, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles pictured during an interview on Capital Breakfast with Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon, in their studios in Leicester Square, in London, on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. (Yui Mok/PA via AP, File)

FILE - Liam Payne arrives for the premiere of "The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader," at the Odeon Leicester Square, in London, Nov. 30, 2010. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

People gather outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

FILE - Liam Payne performs during the first day of BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend at Singleton Park, in Swansea, Wales, May 26, 2018. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP, File)