‘We are about moving forward:’ Harris, Michelle Obama campaign in Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Former first lady Michelle Obama energized a crowd of Democratic supporters Saturday in Kalamazoo, stumping alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at Wings Event Center.

It is Harris’ second stop in West Michigan in the last two weeks. She held a rally in Grand Rapids on Oct. 18. Former President Donald Trump held a rally on Friday in Traverse City and another one in Novi earlier Saturday.

Harris covered several different topics, ranging from tax plans, drug costs and reproductive rights, all interspersed with criticisms of her opponent and his plans. She also emphasized her campaign’s mission: to move the country forward.

“There is a yearning in our country for a president who sees our people. Not just looking in the mirror all the time, but who sees you and gets you and will fight for you. That’s what this election is all about,” Harris said. “We are not going back. We are about moving forward. It is time to turn the page. Ours is a fight for the future and it’s a fight for freedom.”

The vice president also acknowledged the young people in the crowd, which included many college students with both Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College nearby.

“You are rightly impatient for change. I love that. I love that,” she said. “You have only known the climate crisis, are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. You, who grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe. You, who now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for reproductive freedom. … I see you, and I see your power.”

Obama took the stage before the vice president to tout Harris’ record as a lawmaker and as a person, characterizing the Vice President as someone with “warmth, dignity and class.”

“(Harris) is what a sane, stable leader looks like,” Obama told attendees. “That’s what you want in a president. Someone who gets you and has your back. I know good people and Kamala Harris is an extraordinary human being, is an extraordinary candidate and will be an extraordinary President of the United States.”

The former first lady also attacked Trump, calling him childish and accusing critics of holding Harris to higher standards.

“Kamala is the only candidate in this race who has outlined a clear set of policies,” Obama said, highlighting her plan to lower drug costs and tackle inflation and price gouging. “By every measure, she has demonstrated that she is ready. The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment? Are we willing to do what it takes to get her across the finish line or are we going to distracted and fall for the scam.”

She also focused on reproductive rights and Harris’ commitment to protect abortion rights, a popular topic on the campaign trail. Obama specifically aimed her message at men, saying it could be your wife, girlfriend, mother or daughter whose lives could be threatened by pregnancy difficulties.

“Please do not put our lives in the hands of politicians, mostly men, who have no clue or do not care about what we as women go through,” the former first lady said. “A vote for (Trump) is a vote against us, against our worth.”

She continued: “Kamala will (protect abortion rights) not because she is a woman, but because is a decent human being.”

The visit comes on the same day early in-person voting begins statewide in Michigan. Absentee voting has been underway in Michigan for weeks, with some 1.4 million ballots already returned as of Friday morning, according to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office .

The race is neck-and-neck in Michigan and several other key battleground states. A recent Emerson College Polling survey recorded an outright tie in Michigan, with 49% of voters saying they intended to vote for Harris and 49% for Trump.

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