Harris Appeals to Young Michigan Voters: ‘Your Voice is Your Power’

Vice President Kamala Harris zeroed in on young voters during her closing argument in a battleground swing through the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, one week before Election Day, as early voting is underway.
“I love your generation,” Harris told students from the University of Michigan. “One of the things about you is that you’re impatient for change. I love that about you.”
“I see you and I see your power,” she said and, in encouraging them to vote, added: “Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.”
According to polling from The Independent Center, Harris beats Trump on seven key issues, including the economy, healthcare and social issues, among voters ages 18 to 44. Trump edges Harris out on immigration.
The race is in a dead heat, and has been for a while: Harris currently holds a slim lead nationally over Trump, at 48 percent to Trump’s 46.7 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight’s tallied average of some of the election season’s most statistically reliable polling.
Both Harris and Trump have made multiple stops in Michigan in recent weeks.
Harris campaigned heavily in the state in mid-October, including an event with rapper and singer Lizzo. Trump was in the state late last week.
Harris and Trump are statistically tied in Michigan, according to FiveThirtyEight, with Harris at 47.6 percent to Trump’s 47.3 percent, a gap that’s within the margin of error.
Gaining ground with young voters could potentially help create some space.
As she addressed the crowd, Harris told students that as young leaders, they best understand the perils of climate change and the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade.
She tread carefully on the topic of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which the Biden-Harris administration has been criticized, particularly among young voters, over its handling of the crisis.
Earlier this month, Harris met with students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where a pro-Palestinian protester criticized her as she spoke about the White House’s policy vis-a-vis the Israel-Hamas war.
“We all want this war to end as soon as possible and get the hostages out,” Harris said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Harris doubled down on her criticism of former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, calling the event “nonsense.”
“I think last night, Donald Trump’s event in Madison Square Garden really highlighted a point that I’ve been making throughout this campaign,” Harris told reporters before she traveling to Michigan. “He is focused and actually fixated on his grievances, on himself, and on dividing our country.”
After the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating pile of garbage” at the rally, Latin musician Bad Bunny reposted Harris’ video about Puerto Rico on his Instagram account, where he has 45 million followers.
On Monday, Harris renewed a promise to focus on Puerto Rico.
According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll published Sunday, Harris has a 30-point advantage with Hispanic voters in the final week of the election.