By Jeff Mason

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told supporters in Nevada on Saturday she supported eliminating taxes on tips, similar to her rival Donald Trump, aiming to gain favor with service workers, a key constituency in the state.

Harris and her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, concluded a multi-day tour of battleground states on Saturday in Nevada, which could play a crucial role in the November 5 presidential election.

“It is my promise to everyone here when I am president we will continue to fight for working families, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris stated.

Harris vowed to lower consumer prices, affirming her commitment to “take on big corporations that engage in illegal price-gouging” and tackle corporate landlords that unjustly increase rents on working families, in addition to lowering drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Trump, addressing a rally in Las Vegas in June, stated he would seek to abolish taxation on income from tips, accusing Harris of imitating his policy proposal. “Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING… just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump asserted via his Truth Social app. “The difference is, she won’t do it; she just wants it for Political Purposes!”

A Harris campaign official noted that her proposal would necessitate legislation from Congress. “As president, she would work with Congress to craft a proposal that comes with an income limit and strict requirements to prevent hedge fund managers and lawyers from structuring their compensation to exploit the policy,” the official remarked.

After officially becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee this week, Harris has campaigned with Walz in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona, all traditional swing states in presidential elections.

To become president, a candidate must secure 270 electoral votes, as the need for the national popular vote isn’t necessary. Each state possesses a number of electoral votes based on its population, rendering swing states particularly significant.

Post-Nevada, Harris traveled to San Francisco in her home state of California, where she is scheduled to attend a fundraiser on Sunday alongside former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Nearly 700 individuals are anticipated at this event, projecting to raise over $12 million, according to a campaign official.

Harris and Walz aim to maintain and expand the momentum Harris has garnered since President Joe Biden stepped aside as the party’s frontrunner last month.

In separate polls conducted by New York Times and Siena College, Harris led Trump by four percentage points in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, showing a notable shift from earlier polls taken before Biden exited the race.

The Trump campaign issued a memo from its chief pollster, Tony Fabrizio, contesting the polls’ findings. “Once again, we see a series of public surveys released with the clear intent to depress support for President Trump,” Fabrizio stated.

Nationally, Harris was ahead of Trump by five percentage points (42% to 37%) in an Ipsos poll published on Thursday, widening her lead from a July 22-23 Reuters/Ipsos survey, which found her leading 37% to 34%.

Since becoming the Democratic candidate, Harris has raised hundreds of millions and organized rallies attracting thousands of supporters, consistently surpassing the smaller events Biden held and provoking Trump’s ire, as crowd size has historically signified political strength.

According to the Harris campaign, over 12,000 people attended the arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, with police having turned away roughly 4,000 more due to attendees falling ill in the sweltering Nevada heat, which reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

Throughout the week, Harris highlighted distinctions between herself and Trump. Before departing Arizona on Saturday, she strongly disagreed with the former president regarding the Federal Reserve, asserting that she would not intervene with its independence, a notable contrast to Trump’s claim that presidents should influence central bank decisions.