Vice President Kamala Harris visits MSU to rally students in the final days of the presidential campaign

EAST LANSING — Two days before Election Day, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris stopped at Michigan State University to rally students.

In a speech to about 6,000 people at Jenison Field House, Harris pledged to end the war in Gaza, for which she and President Joe Biden have been heavily criticized since the attacks and escalation of violence in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

“As president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza,” she said at her Sunday appearance in East Lansing. “And to ensure the rights to dignity, freedom and security for the Palestinian people.”

Like other college campuses across the county, dozens of students and community members protested on MSU's campus last year, demanding an end to U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas war and a withdrawal from Israel.

Harris expressed hope and optimism for the future during a 22-minute rally.

“I see the promise of America in everyone who is here,” she said to the crowd of students and Mid-Michigan residents. “The promise of America lies in all the young leaders who are here… I love Gen Z!”

Courtney Tracey and Reyelle Smith, MSU students from Detroit, said they were “definitely excited” to attend the rally and were glad Harris chose to speak in East Lansing.

MSU students have been identified by Tufts University as a potential deciding factor in the race between Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, and Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, to represent Michigan's 7th Congressional District. MSU students, along with other college-age voters in Michigan, were also found to play an outsized role in the Senate race between Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and Mike Rogers, R-White Lake, as well as in the presidential race between Harris and former president Donald Trump.

Mario Santo and Varun Redui, also MSU students, said they were at the rally not because they were Harris supporters but because they wanted the opportunity to see the vice president speak.

“You never know when you’ll get this opportunity again,” Santo said.

“I support Kamala because of her kindness, her integrity and because she will fight for all Americans,” said Margie Stephenson of Williamston. The 78-year-old said she supports Harris because she is not a “narcissist” or “sociopath.”

Harris visited East Lansing after campaigning in Pontiac and Detroit earlier in the day.

Victoria LaCivita, communications director for Team Trump Michigan, said Harris' visits to Michigan were a final chance to “gaslight” Michigan residents.

“Today is Kamala Harris' last chance to convince Michigan residents that the last four years have not been a complete failure,” her statement said. “But Michigan voters know better. Michigan residents have had enough and another scare-mongering rally won't change anything. On Tuesday, Michigan residents will vote for President Donald Trump to fix what Kamala broke.”

A final Free Press poll of likely voters in Michigan ahead of Tuesday's election showed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris with a 3 percentage point lead over Republican former President Donald Trump, driven by growing support among women and black voters, but still within the plus or minus of the poll 4 point margin of error.

Following a poll of the state conducted by USA TODAY and Suffolk University that showed Trump ahead by just four-tenths of a percentage point, the new poll means Michigan was a key battleground state in the last two presidential elections, according to the site, with dozens of visits both campaigns this year remains a mistake.

This is the Harris-Walz campaign's third stop in central Michigan since she announced her candidacy. In October, Harris spoke at a private event at the UAW Local 652 Hall in Lansing. In September, her vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spoke at The Graduate, a hotel right next to the MSU campus.

Trump was also a frequent visitor to Michigan. In late August he visited mid-Michigan and gave a lecture at Alro Steel in Potterville.

Contact Sarah Atwood at [email protected]. Follow her on X, @sarahmatwood. Todd Spangler contributed to this article.

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