Vice President Kamala Harris closed out a Michigan-heavy week for her presidential campaign with a stop in Southwest Detroit Saturday.
The rally of around a few hundred supporters featured some local officials, national labor union presidents, and the singer Lizzo.
Harris’s brief remarks largely covered themes like unity and encouraging people to go out and vote.
“It’s about looking in the face of a perfect stranger and seeing your neighbor and understanding we are all in this together. We all have so much more in common than what separates us and we are going to fight for this country we love,” Harris said.
In all, she addressed the crowd for a little more than six minutes.
Outside the rally, a few protestors criticized Harris for appearing in southwest Detroit, an area known for its Latino community, without directly speaking to the concerns of neighborhood voters.
Sergio Martinez attended the rally wearing a t-shirt that read “Kamala” but said he heckled the Vice President for what he saw as the missed opportunity.
“You didn’t even hit upon Latino issues. You didn’t even hit upon family separation. You didn’t even hit upon something that you are gung ho about that is literally, like, when it comes to immigration, this is the first bill you want to pass. And it is the most conservative bill,” Martinez said, referencing a border security bill that Harris has been supporting.
Saturday marked the first day of early voting in Detroit. After the speaking event, supporters followed Detroit officials to a nearby early voting site where Mayor Mike Duggan cast his ballot.
Duggan noted in-person voting in Detroit is starting earlier than in most of the state.
“Detroiters, it’s a tradition to go to the polls. And now, to be able to have an extra 16 days, you can have that same experience, whatever is most convenient, I think it’s working out real well,” Duggan said.
Saturday was the third time in the week Harris appeared in Michigan. Each time, she leaned into star power to boost her campaign.
Wednesday, she did a radio interview with host Charlamagne tha God. Friday, she appeared alongside Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
During Saturday’s rally, Lizzo noted the importance of Michigan to the presidential election.
“You live in the great state of Michigan. This is the swing state of all swing states. So, every single last vote here counts,” Lizzo said.
While Harris has been traversing the state, former President Donald Trump, her Republican opponent, has also been in Michigan trying to rally his own supporters.
That includes stops in Auburn Hills and Detroit Friday evening.
Presidential campaigns spend a lot of time in Michigan.
Whichever candidate gets the most statewide votes wins all of Michigan's 15 coveted electoral votes. Kamala Harris (D) and Donald Trump (R) are nearly tied in most polls of the state's voters.
The map below shows where we know candidates (and some surrogates) have publicly appeared in Michigan since July 15, 2024.
The height of each county on the map represents the number of voters in the 2020 presidential election.
The colors of each county show which party had the lead in votes and how big the lead was. Dark red means Republicans had a big lead and dark blue means the same for Democrats. Counties that look almost white had both parties nearly tied.
Sources: CQ Press Voting and Elections Collection, Geocodio, Candidate visit information from campaign communications and reports from Michigan Public and other news organizations. • Data visualization and analysis by Adam Yahya Rayes and Zoe Clark | Michigan Public. • Visit marker locations are not exact. • Last update: Oct. 17, 2024.
