Intimacy or 'pomp and ceremony'? Trump, Harris court Michigan voters differently

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and her GOP rival former President Donald Trump have lavished Michigan with attention, making regular campaign stops as they face a tight race for the White House. But the two have each chosen a distinct approach to their events in the critical battleground.

Trump has operated as a more conventional barnstormer with his large rallies and events open to the general public. Harris has held large rallies, too, but she has had fewer in Michigan than Trump since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Instead, Harris has held more small gatherings for her most devoted supporters.

She also has chosen Michigan as the backdrop for some nontraditional media events such as her virtual campaign rally with Oprah Winfrey filmed from a Farmington Hills studio and a watch party in Detroit where supporters at an east-side coffee shop tuned in to an exclusive livestream video of her interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God.

Harris made an odd pitch to voters during her only presidential debate against Trump, saying they should attend her opponent's events. "And I'm going to actually do something really unusual and I'm going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump's rallies," she said. At them, she said, voters would hear Trump make strange comments while failing to address their needs.

Since Biden exited the race, Michigan voters have so far had more opportunities to take Harris up on her suggestion to see Trump than they have to see her in the flesh. Harris has held four campaign events the public could register to attend online via the campaign's website with rallies in Romulus, Flint, Grand Rapids and Waterford. Trump, meanwhile, has held six public events with town halls in Flint and Warren, rallies in Detroit and Saginaw and two other campaign events in Walker and Auburn Hills.

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Is that a problem for Harris? Not necessarily. "Political rallies are not about getting new people," said political and communications strategist Andrea Bitely. The Free Press spoke to one undecided voter who attended a Trump rally earlier this year. But rallies aren't geared toward growing a candidate's base of support, said Bitely. "You are ensuring that your base is motivated and excited and ready to turn out," she said.

Harris' Michigan state campaign manager Mike Frosolone said links to RSVP to attend Harris events in Michigan are sent out through texts, emails and other methods that strategically target voters the campaign believes it needs to reach and then made public depending on the capacity of the venue. Smaller events have enabled Harris to interface directly with voters while her bigger events give her a chance to spread her message widely, according to Frosolone.

In addition to her rallies, Harris has also held smaller gatherings with labor union leaders and union members such as her stop at UAW Local 900 in Wayne with her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Labor Day event at a Detroit high school and a brief stop at a fire station just outside of Detroit. Unions supporting Harris distributed links to RVSP to their Michigan members for these events, according to Frosolone.

Jacques Ledent, 65, of Lincoln Park — a retired AT&T technician — was in Detroit for the Labor Day parade where he had hoped to see Harris. Ledent said she missed an opportunity to address the parade crowd, but suspects security concerns were at play. But he's glad Harris isn't ignoring Michigan like he said Democrat Hillary Clinton did in 2016 before she lost to Trump.

"So at least she's on the right path," Ledent said of Harris, though he said he wishes voters in Michigan had had more chances to see Harris earlier in the campaign.

Ledent attended Harris' rally in Waterford on Friday. It was one of two Harris rallies scheduled in Michigan that day. "It seems like they finally realized that we need to go see those people," he said in an interview a couple of days before he saw her for the first time in Michigan.

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At an intimate gathering of Harris supporters at CRED Café in Detroit to watch Harris' Charlamagne tha God interview, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans expressed support for a Harris strategy that has included smaller events. "I mean I think that's the style that makes sense. I think the other is pomp and ceremony about nothing," he said of Trump. "You know, not a lot of substance there."

While Trump has primarily held bigger public events in Michigan, he also has held a couple of smaller ones. Since Harris became his opponent, he has spoken to a small crowd of invited guests that included many law enforcement officers during a visit to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell. He also held a small event in Potterville, where he addressed a crowd of about 200, according to the Lansing State Journal.

Each campaign stood by their events strategy as an effective way to engage voters.

"The momentum behind President Trump is contagious and Michiganders from every corner of the Mitten want to be involved and show their support," said Team Trump Michigan communications director Victoria LaCivita in a statement.

"The contrast between Trump and Kamala Harris is clear, and the vice president is crisscrossing Michigan to engage voters both through one on one conversations and larger rallies to share her vision for the future where Michiganders don't just get by, but get ahead," said Frosolone in a statement.

While Nov. 5 Election Day is around the corner, there's still plenty of time for the candidates to return to Michigan in the final stretch of the campaign. For the first time in the race, they found each other both holding Michigan rallies on the same day last week. It may not be the last.

Free Press staff writers Paul Egan, Darcie Moran and John Wisely contributed with prior reporting.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Harris, Trump have taken different Michigan events approach