Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris sought to shore up support among Black voters for Joe Biden Tuesday with swings through Detroit and Flint.
Sen. @KamalaHarris stops in Flint at Magnificlips- a local downtown barber shop owned by Earl Jones and Tim Tyler. Due to the pandemic, their business was forced to shut down for a period of time one week after opening. pic.twitter.com/nKfRfZCWh2
— Kat Stafford (@kat__stafford) September 22, 2020
In Detroit, the first Black woman vice presidential nominee reportedly asked those gathered at a Pistons practice facility to think about why powerful people "make it difficult or confusing for us to vote," the Free Press reported.
"They know when we vote, things change. So let us not let anyone take our power from us."
Speaking to the small, socially distanced and masked crowd seated outside the New Center facility, Harris declared Michigan critical for a Biden victory.
Hillary Clinton lost the state by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2016 due to a confluence of factors that included Black voter apathy in the wake of former President Barack Obama's historic candidacy. According to the Free Press, support for Biden among Black Michigan voters has dropped 13 points since July, though it has not translated to greater support for Trump.
Harris was joined in Detroit by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Earlier in the day, she visited Headliners, a barbershop on the west side hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. There, the Free Press reports she also encouraged turnout while discussing the need to reimagine public safety and invest in mental health.