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Kamala Harris Targets Young Voters in Final Campaign Stop in Michigan: ‘I See Your Power’

Kamala Harris Targets Young Voters in Final Campaign Stop in Michigan: ‘I See Your Power’

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

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

“Michigan, you are going to turn this election around,” Harris said Sunday evening at Michigan State University’s Jenison Field House, where she urged students to take their friends to the polls on Election Day.

Harris’ 22-minute speech to a crowd of thousands consisted mostly of stumps she had used on previous visits to Michigan during her short, 15-week campaign. Her appeal to a college-age audience was obvious. The 60-year-old described herself as “the next generation of leaders” and told students directly: “I love Generation Z.”

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

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

Harris did not directly mention her rival, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but she alluded to him and positioned herself as a turnaround candidate in the race, even though she has spent the last four years as vice president.

“In this election, we have a chance to finally turn the page on a decade of politics driven by fear and division,” she said. “We’ve had enough of it and we’re exhausted by it. And America is ready for a new beginning. Ready for a new path forward.”

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As Tuesday’s Election Day approaches, approximately 3 million Michiganders have already cast their ballots by mail or early in-person voting – representing more than 40% of all active registered voters in the state. Both Democrats and Republicans have spent the last week making last-ditch efforts to get voters to the polls.

Polls continue to show Harris and Trump effectively tied in Michigan, although some aggregators give Harris a slight lead. The latest polls from Sienna College and Mitchell Research showed Harris tied and two percentage points ahead of Trump, which statistically means either candidate could win Michigan.

The role of students

Six days after she said “go crazy” at a rally in Ann ArborOn Sunday, Harris shouted “go green” in Michigan, to which supporters responded with an enthusiastic “go white.”

College students remain a key voting bloc that Democrats are relying on to help Harris win in Michigan, and the halt to her campaign in the crucial final week before the election underscores the work they need to do.