KALAMAZOO, Mich. — On the first day of early voting in Michigan, Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Kalamazoo, speaking alongside Michelle Obama.
A rare political appearance for the former first lady, who most recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention over the summer, she used the platform to talk about access to abortion, often speaking directly to men.
"Your wife, your daughter, your mother: We as women will become collateral damage to your rage," she said. "I am asking y'all from the core of my being, take our lives seriously."
Apart from reproductive rights, Obama also voiced frustration with former president Donald Trump's polling performance, again calling on male voters to play a role in electing what would be America's first female president.
"Why on earth is this race even close?” Obama said. "I want to do everything in my power to remind the country I love that there's too much we stand to lose if we get this one wrong."
When Kamala Harris took the stage, the crowd at the Wings Event Center had already heard from Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), in addition to Obama and a pair of Western Michigan University students.
"We have to understand the opportunity we have before us to turn the page on the fear and the divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade," Harris said.
Similar to the former first lady, Harris touched on abortion in her half-hour speech and also laid out her economic plan, including a $6,000 child tax credit to parents of newborns and a $25,000 down payment assistance program for first-time home buyers.
"Your voice is your power," Harris said at the close of her campaign stop. "Michigan, today I ask you: Are you ready to make your voice heard?"
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