DETROIT — Vice President Kamala Harris appeared with Lizzo on Saturday in the singer’s hometown of Detroit, marking the start of in-person voting and lavishing praise on the city after Republican candidate Donald Trump recently disparaged it.
“All the best things were made in Detroit. Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a gathered audience, pointing to herself after listing the hot dogs and sodas the city is famous for.
She said it was time to “put some respect on the name Detroit,” noting that the city had revolutionized the auto and music industries and adding that she had already voted for Harris since voting early was “a power move.”
There was widespread praise for the Motor City after Trump, the former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign: “Like the people of Detroit, we have courage, we have excellence, we have history.”
Arms wide open as she took the stage, Harris let the crowd see that she was wearing a “Detroit vs. Detroit” t-shirt under her blazer. Everybody” that the owner of the company that produces them had given him during a previous stop in the city earlier in the week. She also moved around the stage during her speech with a handheld microphone, without using a teleprompter.
More than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted early voting turnout in Detroit would be strong.
“Who is the record-breaking capital?,” Harris asked, imploring the crowd to set new highs for early voting. “We’re going to break records here in Detroit today.”
She called Trump unstable: “Someone just needs to watch his rallies, if you don’t really know how to vote. »
“We are not going to get those 17 days back. On Election Day, we don’t want to have any regrets,” the vice president said.
Lizzo also told the crowd, “Ms. Commander in Chief sounds great. »
“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every vote here counts,” the singer said. Then, referencing her song of the same title, Lizzo added: “If you ask me if America is ready for its first female president, I only have one thing to say: ‘It’s about time!’ ”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump — real wages were higher, prices were lower low and everyone was better off.”
Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris’ rally and said Harris “and his team are doing the things necessary to make sure people are informed.”
“I believe she is telling the truth. She’s trying to help people,” said Johnson, who said she plans to vote for Harris and sees women’s rights as her main concern.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything she says, but she’s better than the alternative,”
In her comments to reporters before the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the people for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them to vote today.” ‘today. She also called Detroit a “great American city” with “lots of hard-working people who have courage and ambition and who deserve to be respected.”
The vice president was asked whether the Biden administration’s unqualified support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza could hurt its support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the largest Arab-majority city in the country.
“It’s never been easy,” Harris said of Middle East policy. “But that doesn’t mean we give up.”
She’ll get even more star power later Saturday when she hosts a gathering in Atlanta with another wildly popular singer, Usher.
Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, 19-year-old Ian Summer planned to vote against Trump — but he wasn’t enthusiastic about President Joe Biden. Since Harris entered the race, “she’s brought great energy,” Summer said. Summer worries about restrictions on abortion access under Trump. “The fact that I might have a wife in the future who might not be able to get the care that she needs, that’s a very scary thing,” he said.
Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots were cast, in person or by mail. Democrats hope a broad organizing effort will strengthen Harris against Trump in the final weeks of the campaign.
Roderick Williams, 56, brought his three daughters to Harris’ rally in Atlanta. His youngest daughter was born just as former President Barack Obama took office, and he hopes they can once again bear witness to history as they see Harris become the first black woman to be president.
“It’s important for them to see that anything is possible,” Williams said.
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Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit, Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed.
