Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a rally in East Lansing, Mich., on Nov. 3 (Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance).
Vice President Kamala Harris vowed during a rally of thousands at Michigan State University on Sunday that she would do “everything in her power” to end the war in Gaza if she is elected president.
Harris said that “leaders of the Arab-American community” were in attendance at the East Lansing rally, which is expected to be her final public appearance in Michigan before Tuesday’s election.
“This year has been difficult, given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon,” Harris said at the beginning of her remarks. “It is devastating.”
“As president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza,” Harris said, pausing for loud cheers from the audience, “to bring home the hostages, end the suffering in Gaza, ensure Israel is secure and ensure the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, security and self-determination.”
Like many college campuses throughout the country, Michigan State University’s campus has seen several protests over the past year, calling for an end to U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas war and divestment from Israel by university leaders.
In the February presidential primary, more than 100,000 voters cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary, with many protesting President Joe Biden’s support of Israel. The Uncommitted movement has declined to endorse in the presidential race, although it still stressed that it opposes former President Donald Trump.
The Abandon Harris campaign, a coalition of Arab-American leaders, has endorsed Green Party candidate Jill Stein and issued a statement Monday morning urging voters “to reject the Biden-Harris administration’s support for ongoing atrocities in Gaza.”
Harris has been endorsed by a group of 25 Muslim leaders and Emgage, a Muslim-American advocacy group. Former President Donald Trump has been endorsed by several Arab-American leaders, as well, including Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, who campaigned for him Sunday in his hometown.
On Friday, Trump visited Dearborn, the nation’s largest Arab-majority city. The Republican nominee for president called for “peace in the Middle East,” but offered no specifics on how he would achieve that. Trump recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do what you have to do,” in the ongoing offensives against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Earlier on Sunday, Harris attended church service in Detroit and visited Kuzzo’s Chicken & Waffles before visiting Elam Barber Shop in Pontiac.
Approximately 6,500 people were inside Jenison Field House for Harris’ rally Sunday evening, with an additional 4,000 in an overflow area outside.
“We have the momentum because our campaign is tapping into the ambitions, the aspirations and the dreams of the American people, because we are optimistic and excited about what we can do together and because we know that it is time for a new generation of leadership in America,” Harris said.
The event also featured Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat against former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers.
Former state Sen. Curtis Hertel, who is locked in a tight race for the open 7th Congressional District seat — which includes MSU — also spoke at the rally. Hertel is facing former state Sen. Tom Barrett.
Harris’ rally in East Lansing was the first since the vice president became the Democratic candidate for president where she did not mention Trump by name, her campaign noted.
“From the very start, our campaign has not been about being against something, it is about being for something,” Harris said. “A fight for a future with freedom, opportunity and dignity for all Americans. And so, in these final hours, let us remember that there is power in knowing that we are together.”
This story was originally published by Michigan Advance, a States Newsroom affiliate.