Harris is making a campaign push in Michigan and Georgia, with assists from singers Lizzo and Usher

Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Kamala Harris is set to appear with Detroit-born singer Lizzo as the Democratic presidential nominee marks the beginning of in-person early voting in the city on Saturday.

More than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election.

“We’re here today to thank all the folks for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them out to vote today,” Harris told reporters.

The vice president donned a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt, which the company’s owner gave her at a campaign stop in Detroit earlier in the week, and praised the city. That’s in contrast with Republican nominee Donald Trump who recently disparaged it during a campaign stop in the city.

Harris said it was good “obviously to be in a great American city and to applaud it for being just that.” She added that Detroit has “a lot of hard-working folks that have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected.”

She was also asked about whether the Biden administration’s full-throated support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza might hurt her support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the largest city with an Arab majority in the nation.

“It has never been easy,” Harris said of Middle East policy. “But that doesn’t mean we give up.”

She will get more star power later Saturday when she holds a rally in Atlanta with Usher. The singer is expected to speak at the event.

Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots have been cast, either in person or by mail.

Democrats hope an expansive organizing effort will boost Harris against Trump in the campaign’s final weeks.