Kamala Harris Targets Youth Vote During Final Campaign Stop in Michigan: 'I See Your Power'

Kamala Harris claims that “momentum is on our side” as she rallies students and other supporters of Michigan State University
Young voters are a key voting bloc for Harris, who met six days earlier at the University of Michigan
Harris also visited Detroit and Pontiac during her final campaign through the swing state before Tuesday’s election

EAST LANSING — At her final rally in Michigan before Election Day, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told the college campus crowd that “momentum is on our side” but there is still more work to do.

“Michigan, you will make a difference in this election,” Harris said Sunday night at Michigan State University’s Jenison Field House, where she urged students to bring their friends to the polls on Election Day.

Harris’ 22-minute speech to a crowd of thousands consisted mainly of stump material she used during previous visits to Michigan during her short 15-week campaign. Her appeals to the student audience were clear. The 60-year-old cast himself as “a new generation of leadership” and said directly to the students, “I love Gen Z.”

The vice president praised them as “rightly impatient” in wanting change on issues like abortion, gun violence and climate change.

“This is your lived experience, and I see you, and I see your strength, and I am so proud of you,” she said.

Harris did not directly mention her rival, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but she alluded to him and positioned herself as the change candidate in the race despite spending the past four years as vice president.

“We have the opportunity in this election to finally turn the page on a decade of politics driven by fear and division,” she said. “We’re done with it, and we’re exhausted from it. And America is ready for a new start. Ready for a new way forward.”

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With Election Day just around the corner on Tuesday, about 3 million Michigan residents have already cast their ballots, either by mail or through early, in-person voting — more than 40% of all active registered voters in the state. Both Democrats and Republicans have made the latest push this past week to drive voters to the polls.

Polls still show Harris and Trump effectively tied in Michigan, though some aggregators give Harris a slight advantage. The latest polls from Sienna College and Mitchell Research showed Harris tied with Trump and two percentage points ahead of Trump, respectively, a statistical tie that means either candidate could emerge with a decisive victory in Michigan.

The role of students

Six days after she said ‘go blue’ during a meeting in Ann ArborHarris shouted “go green” at Michigan State on Sunday, where supporters responded with an enthusiastic “go white.”

Students remain a crucial voting bloc that Democrats are relying on to hand victory to Harris in Michigan, and her campaign halt in the crucial final week before the election underlines the campaign work they have to do.