Emhoff headlines campaign event in Southfield

Sixteen days before the presidential election, about 100 people gathered at Sheet Metal Workers Local 80 in Southfield for a Jewish Voters for Harris-Walz campaign event headlined by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Democratic Michigan politicians joined Emhoff at the event, including Attorney General Dana Nessel, Mallory McMorrow, Michigan Senate majority whip, and state Sen. Jeremy Moss. 

Harris is currently leading nationally among Jewish voters at 62%, a smaller lead compared to  Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, who reached about 68% and 70% of the vote, respectively. Harris and Trump are neck and neck in Michigan, according to recent polls. 

Event speakers highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for Jewish Americans and the differences between her and former President Donald Trump. University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker (D) gave the opening remarks and said he plans to vote for Harris because of her consistent support for Jewish people.

“I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because the fight against antisemitism needs allies who protect the Jewish community here, who work for peace and safety and security in Israel and Gaza,” Acker said. “And it’s demonstrated over and over again that she’s there for our community.”

With Election Day quickly approaching, Acker encouraged the event attendees to do more than just vote to help get Harris elected.

“We cannot wait until November 5,” Acker said. “This starts right now, and it’s not enough to have a plan to vote. … We have to knock (on) doors. We have to make calls. We have to vote early, and we have to make sure our friends get to the polling place, and we have to give everything we have for the next 16 days.”

North Carolina Rep. Kathy Manning also spoke at the event. Manning, a Michigan native who was born and raised in Detroit, was the first Jewish woman elected to Congress from North Carolina. She discussed Harris’ work to fight antisemitism and her plans to continue those efforts if elected president. 

“Kamala Harris has been a leader in the fight against antisemitism,” Manning said. “As vice president, she played a key role in drafting the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This strategy is important. It’s comprehensive. It’s already having an impact.”

While applause echoed around the room, Emhoff began his speech to voters by discussing his Jewish identity and his relationship with Harris.

“She knew who I was when I met her,” Emhoff said. “I didn’t have to explain to her who I was as a Jew, what our culture was, what our customs were — she got it. And she still gets it.”

Enhoff then spotlighted some of Harris’s achievements in combating antisemitism, including bringing hate crime charges against the man who assaulted Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel. 

“Kamala has used her official platforms as well to fight for us Jews and to fight against antisemitism,” Emhoff said. “When she was a district attorney in San Francisco, she charged Elie Wiesel’s attacker with a hate crime. When Kamala was in the Senate, her first legislative accomplishment was passing a bipartisan effort to combat antisemitism, which, of course, we now have our national strategy. And again, she helped do that as Vice President. Kamala and I have a shared commitment that nobody — nobody — should live in fear.”

In his closing remarks, Emhoff highlighted Harris’ goals to unite Americans. 

“Whether it’s for our Jewish community or for all Americans, because she has promised to be the president for all Americans, she knows we have so much more in common than what divides us,” Emhoff said. “And we know that we’re not going to give in to this extremism, this hate, this division, this chaos, this incompetence.”

Daily News Contributor Miles Anderson can be reached at milesand@umich.edu. 

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