Michigan Dems host vice presidential debate watch party

About 150 Ann Arbor community members gathered in the Arbor Brewing Company Session Room Tuesday evening for the Michigan Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential Debate watch party. The watch party was one of more than 100 hosted throughout the state by ONECampaign for Michigan, a campaign team funded by the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee that organizes volunteer opportunities, political events and petitions. 

At the watch party, attendees were greeted with canvassing sign-up sheets, ate pizza and appetizers, and heard from speakers including U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.To kick off the event, Dingell spoke about the importance of voting in the upcoming general election in Michigan because it is a swing state.  

“Right now, I’m going to tell you, neither candidate has won Michigan yet,” Dingell said. “We are a purple state, and we’ve got to get out there. We have got to tell people the truth. We got to give them the facts.”

Event organizers from ONECampaign for Michigan encouraged attendees to sign up to canvass and make phone calls. State Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, spoke about how a couple of votes could make a large impact in the election.

“It is such a small margin, and we have so much going on in the world, in our community, in our state,” Morgan said. “We need every single one of you to remind people to vote to make sure that we win every single vote in this election. That’s the only way we are going to win.”

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Rackham student David Frey said he believes these efforts to mobilize voters could make a difference in the election. 

“People who lean left politically might not understand how critical it is to vote,” Frey said. “That’s what I see as the people we want to reach when we canvass. I can see how it’s making a difference.”

Throughout the watch party, the crowd cheered at the end of Tim Walz’s answers, laughed when the candidates made an incorrect statement or stumbled over their words and booed when the candidates continued talking past their time limits.  

In an interview with The Daily, attendee Cynthia Weber said she enjoyed being at the watch party because of the positive atmosphere created by the audience.

“I really love the energy that’s here,” Weber said. “Just being around people who are like-minded sometimes is energizing.”

Weber spoke about how the debate performance both met and did not meet her expectations for Walz and JD Vance. 

“I think Walz started a bit weak; I had a feeling he was quite nervous,” Weber said. “But I think he got stronger throughout and really made some good points toward the end. I still think he should have made it much more clear that Trump is a dear threat to our democracy.” 

Lauretta Flowers, University of Michigan alum and retired English teacher, said in an interview with The Daily that she is hopeful for the Harris-Walz ticket.

“We just have to change the climate and the feeling of this world — now it’s so negative,” Flowers said. “Just the vileness and the evilness of Trump makes me sick. (Harris) is a ray of hope and joy.” 

Flowers spoke about her perspective on the dynamics between the vice president candidates throughout the debate.

“I’m proud of Walz,” said Flowers. “I think he really held Vance to the fire.” 

Daily Staff Reporter Ava Chatlosh can be reached at chatlosh@umich.edu.

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