Harris and Lizzo praise Detroit before a rally in Atlanta with Usher

DETROIT (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris performed with Lizzo in the singer's hometown of Detroit on Saturday, marking the start of in-person voting and recently showering the city with praise for Republican candidate Donald Trump denigrated it.

“The best things were made in Detroit. “Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after listing the hot dogs and soda the city is famous for.

She said it was time to “give some respect to the Detroit name,” pointing out that the city has revolutionized the auto and music industries, adding that she had already voted for Harris since the early Voting is “a power movement”.

Afterwards there was a lot of praise for the Motor City Trumpthe former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign: “Like the people of Detroit, we have courage, we have excellence, we have history.”

Arms spread wide, Harris took the stage, letting the crowd see that under her blazer she was wearing a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the owner of the company that makes them gave her at a previous stop in had given the week to the city. She also moved around the stage with a hand-held microphone during her speech and did not use a teleprompter.

More than 1 million Michigan Residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted early voting turnout in Detroit would be high.

“Who is the capital of record production?” Harris asked as he implored the crowd to set new highs for the number of early votes. “We’re going to break some records here in Detroit today.”

She criticized Trump as unstable: “Someone just has to watch his rallies if you're not really sure how to vote.”

“We will not get those 17 days back. We don’t want to have any regrets on election day,” the vice president said.

Lizzo also told the crowd, “Mrs. “Commander-in-Chief” has a nice ring to it.”

“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote counts here,” the singer said. Then, in reference to her song of the same name, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first female president, all I can say is, 'It's about damn time!'

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump — real wages were higher, prices were lower and everyone was better off. “

Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris' rally and said that Harris “and her team are taking the necessary steps to make sure people are informed.”

“I think she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help people,” said Johnson, who said she planned to vote for Harris and sees women’s rights as her biggest concern.

“I don’t necessarily agree with everything she puts forward, but she’s better than the alternative.”

In comments to reporters before the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the people for the work they are doing to help organize and register voters and get them to vote today,” she said Detroit is also “a great American city” with “many hard-working people who have courage and ambition and deserve to be respected.”

The vice president was asked whether the Biden administration fully supports Israel War with Hamas in Gaza could hurt their support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the country's largest Arab-majority city.

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

She'll get even more star power later Saturday when she holds a rally in Atlanta with another hugely popular singer, Usher.

Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, 19-year-old Ian Summer planned to vote against Trump — but he wasn't keen on President Joe Biden. Since Harris entered the race, “she has brought great energy,” Summer said. Summer is concerned about restrictions on abortion access under Trump. “The fact that I could have a wife in the future who may not be able to get the care she needs is a very scary thing,” he said.

Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots were cast in person or by mail. Democrats hope a comprehensive organizing effort will bolster Harris in the final weeks of the campaign against Trump.

Roderick Williams, 56, brought his three daughters to Harris' rally in Atlanta. His youngest daughter was born around the time former President Barack Obama took office, and he hopes they can witness history again by seeing Harris become the first black woman to become president.

“It’s important for them to see that anything is possible,” Williams said.

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Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit, Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed.