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With a little more than two weeks until Election Day, Jill Biden spoke at Three Cats Cafe in Clawson, MI, to a crowd of about 100 supporters, local elected officials, volunteers and union members.
According to recent polls, Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump by 6% with suburban voters nationwide. However, the Harris campaign has lost support from groups long considered reliable Democratic voters, specifically Hispanic and Black voters. The Biden administration’s response to the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza has also divided the Democratic Party, with Harris struggling to gain support from Arab American and Muslim voters. With these losses, the campaign hopes to zero in on white, college-educated suburban voters to close the gap.
Oakland County Executive David Coulter opened the event and spoke to attendees about the choice they face in November. Coulter highlighted the differences between Harris and Trump when it comes to the issues that matter most to voters.
“Don’t we need a new way forward?” Coulter said. “One that lifts up the middle class and lifts up people like Oakland County and brings our country together. That’s what we’re looking for. Donald Trump and JD Vance … they’re once again bringing out an extreme agenda that’s going to raise costs, rip away our freedoms, like reproductive freedoms, and take us backwards.”
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, also spoke at the event. Stevens highlighted Michigan’s role as a swing state in the upcoming election. In 2016, Trump beat out Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, by less than 11,000 votes, before Biden won the state in 2020 by more than 150,000 votes.
“Do not be fooled by the gimmicks because it’s all of our rights on the line,” Stevens said. “You’re right, folks, they’re all looking at us. They’re all looking at Michigan. Everyone’s coming to town, and they’re like, ‘Which way is the state gonna go? Which is going to happen?’ Well, I got one bet — and it’s a bright blue wave.”
Anahita Maleknia, field organizer for the Michigan One Campaign and student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she felt called to this election because of what she believes are the potential implications of a second Trump presidency.
“As a young woman, I feel deeply connected to what is at stake in this election, just like many young women across Michigan and the entire country,” Maleknia said. “In fact, it became so important to me that I decided to move from my home state of Alabama and take a semester off from my senior year of college to be with you here today.”
Maleknia also highlighted the importance of women in grassroots organizing to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot in November.
“Women have always been the backbone of change in this country, and women have the power to determine this election,” Maleknia said. “But the work doesn’t stop here. We need to show our country what strong women can do by hitting the ground running, knocking doors, making calls and spreading the word to everyone that we know.”
During her remarks, Jill Biden detailed Harris’ specific policy proposals to lower prices and protect access to reproductive health care. Since Harris entered the race in July, her lack of policy proposals has been a repeated subject of criticism. Jill Biden spoke about Harris’ stance on banning price gouging in order to lower prices on everyday goods.
“Prices spiked during the pandemic, but now corporations are keeping those prices high, making record profits, while families are paying more for groceries,” Jill Biden said. “Donald Trump wants to give those same corporations a tax cut so that they can make even more money, and that’s unacceptable. … (Harris) will fight back against greedy corporations and crack down on price gouging.”
Biden also spoke about several other campaign promises from Harris, including her support for a federal law codifying the right to abortion and her proposed $25,000-down payment assistance for first time home buyers. Biden framed the Harris-Walz ticket as champions of the middle class.
“I’ve just given you three ways Kamala Harris is going to work for you and your families,” Biden said. “Lowering grocery costs, making housing affordable and protecting our freedoms. These aren’t radical ideas, they’re just practical ways to make life easier and more fair. As president, Kamala Harris is going to fight for you.”
Daily News Editor Mary Corey can be reached at mcorey@umich.edu.
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