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    • Obama and Eminem give speeches at a rally for Harris in Detroit
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    Obama and Eminem give speeches at a rally for Harris in Detroit

    Kathleen William Posted on

    Detroit – Former President Barack Obama urged voters in Detroit and Michigan to cast their ballots for Democrat Kamala Harris during a raucous rally where he was introduced by hometown favorite Eminem.

    Obama told the crowd at Huntington Place Tuesday night that he was in the Motor City to remind them of the possibility of early voting to elect Harris and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin.

    “Together, Detroit, we have the chance to select a new generation of leaders in America,” Obama said. “Let me tell you, your vote will count. We know this election will be close.”

    Eminem, wearing a khaki Old English “D” hat, introduced the former president with an invitation to the crowd to get engaged.

    “In this election we are in the spotlight more than ever, and it is important that you use your voice,” the rapper said to cheers during his brief introduction. “So go out and vote.”…People shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions.”

    Soon after, Obama took the stage and joked about the star power that had preceded him: “I felt like I was kind of following Eminem.”

    In his speech, Obama said former President Donald Trump wanted the nation to think it was divided.

    “He understands that dividing people and making people angry will increase his chances of getting elected,” Obama said.

    “The good news is that Kamala Harris is up for the job. “This is a leader who fought for the people who need a voice,” Obama said. “This is someone who believes in the values ​​of this country.”

    Fans filled all the seats around the main stage and the stands at the back of the room. The standing areas were full. Many women are dressed in pink from head to toe; some men wore Obama or Harris T-shirts.

    Heather McBride said she came to the event to see the former president in person, describing the moment as “history in the making.”

    McBride, 51, of Wyandotte, also said she came to celebrate Harris as a candidate with other supporters.

    “It's so hard in this world, you can't talk to family and friends because no one wants to talk about politics,” McBride said. “When you come to an event like this, you’re around people like him and that motivates you.”

    Before the president's arrival, former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson Jr. took the stage to tell the cheering crowd that he had come to represent “Athletes for Harris.”

    “The people of Detroit are resilient, they're passionate and they're proud, and we know how to get the job done … and we look good,” Johnson said. “I forgot about that.” Kamala Harris understands that too, she has the same courage and spirit.”

    “I can’t say the same about the other side,” Johnson said of Trump. “Go to the ballot box and vote.”

    Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told the crowd that Michigan would help put Harris in the White House and rebuked Trump for his recent comments about Detroit during a visit to the city.

    “He should keep Detroit out of his mouth,” Whitmer said.

    “You the people have the real power in this election, your vote is the power. “Never forget it,” Whitmer said. “If Detroit shows up, he loses. He’s about to find out that Detroit isn’t playing.”

    Obama's campaign stop in Detroit came during the election in Michigan's largest city, a longtime Democratic stronghold. As of Tuesday, Detroit voters had returned 59,474 of the 108,649 mail-in ballots they requested from the city clerk's office, a response rate of nearly 55%, according to the secretary of state's office.

    State data shows another 4,004 Detroiters have voted at early voting centers across the city since they opened Saturday, a week before the rest of the state begins nine days of early, in-person voting.

    This is the first presidential election in Michigan under a new state law that allows early in-person voting in addition to casting absentee ballots by mail or drop box. This has led the Harris and Trump campaigns to urge voters to cast their ballots before Election Day.

    Earlier Tuesday, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick warned voters ahead of Obama's visit to Detroit that the Chicago Democrat is “not the messiah” and that Obama is promoting a message that no longer resonates with the black community.

    Kilpatrick, who was convicted of 24 felonies and had his sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump in 2021, made the comments during a Trump campaign call with other Black men from the Detroit area ahead of Obama's rally for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

    “I want the president of mine, Kwame Kilpatrick, to understand that people respect what he did in office, they respect him as a man,” Kilpatrick said. “He is a politician, so he has the absolute right to get involved in politics. But he is not the Messiah or the Father of the community. And telling black men that you should be forced to vote for them just because they are a woman is isolating men and women in their own households.

    “We believe women can have this job, but not that job,” Kilpatrick added of Harris.

    During a question-and-answer session following Kipatrick's comments, moderators did not ask The Detroit News whether Kilpatrick was paid to appear at the news conference. A spokeswoman later said Kilpatrick was not paid for the news conference.

    Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes said Tuesday that Trump “has shown nothing but disrespect for Detroit, and any attempt to rewrite that legacy is shameful.”

    “Meanwhile, leaders like President Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris always stand for integrity, service and real progress for our communities,” Barnes said. “Detroiters will not be fooled by scammers and charades.”

    Obama was in Detroit on Tuesday evening amid a flurry of campaign visits from Harris, Trump and their vice presidents Tim Walz and JD Vance.

    Harris' campaign and his surrogates are appealing to male voters, particularly black men, to drum up more support for the ticket in swing states where the race is expected to be close.

    In Michigan earlier this month, former NBA star and Michigan native Magic Johnson appeared before Harris at a Flint rally and made a direct appeal to black men.

    “We have to get our black men to vote, that’s the most important thing,” Johnson said. “Kamala's opponent promised the black community a lot of things last time that he didn't keep, and we need to make sure we help black men understand that. That's why I'm here to make sure I help black men understand.” “

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    Kathleen William
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