KENTWOOD, Mich. — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, took the stage at a Kentwood brewery on Thursday, making the case for why his wife should be elected president.
Emhoff's message at Broadleaf Brewery was clear: a Kamala Harris presidency would prioritize the economy and jobs for the middle class.
“Her plan is to create an opportunity economy, right, where everyone has an opportunity to succeed,” he told a crowd of roughly 300 people.
Thursday’s event marked Emhoff’s first campaign activity since the Democratic National Convention wrapped up.
"We want to have a great economy that focuses on all of us. We want to have clean air to breathe. We want less weapons of war on our streets that are killing young people in our schools," he said.
Emhoff's visit to West Michigan underscores the importance of the state in the upcoming election. Michigan Congresswoman Hillary Scholten was at the brewery to show her support, along with former Rhode Island Governor and current Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
"They know this is not just flyover country, right? Michigan will be decisive. So they're prioritizing it," Scholten told FOX 17 after the event Thursday.
Emhoff also shared a personal side of his wife, describing her as "joyful" and "tough" with a strong sense of empathy.
"She's the same person that we get to love as a family member, that you all are now seeing,” he described.
“And it's her empathy; it's her superpower, her ability to understand what other people are going through. That is really her strength," Emhoff said.
Emhoff emphasized several times that a Harris-Walz administration would focus on lifting up the middle class.
“She's pro-capitalism, pro-business, pro-growth and pro-innovation,” Emhoff said.
With just 68 days left until the election, the second gentleman urged the crowd to get involved on the campaign trail.
"Let's do this. We are going to win this election," Emhoff concluded.
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