Obama and Eminem gather in Detroit to vote for Kamala Harris in Michigan

• Former President Barack Obama stopped in Detroit on Tuesday evening as part of the Harris-Waltz campaign
• He encouraged the crowd to vote, noting that early in-person voting began in Detroit on Saturday and statewide on Oct. 26.
• Obama's appearance highlights the tight race for Michigan's crucial votes

DETROIT – Former President Barack Obama rallied a large crowd in Detroit on Tuesday night on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, driving home the importance of voting in what is expected to be a very close election.

“Whether this election makes you feel excited or anxious or hopeful or frustrated or anything in between, don't sit back and hope for the best… get up from your couch and vote,” Obama said in a speech at the Huntington Place Convention Center in downtown Detroit, his latest in a series of swing state rallies for Harris.

Obama's visit came on the fourth day of early in-person voting in Detroit, a longtime Democratic stronghold where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is courting black voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The convention center in downtown Detroit was one of the most memorable locations of the 2020 presidential election. Supporters of Donald Trump protested the counting of ballots, which was not completed until about 24 hours after voting ended. On Tuesday, the center is teeming with Democrats hoping they can once again deny Trump the swing state's crucial electoral votes.

Speakers included Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state's two Democratic senators, Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running to replace the retiring Stabenow.

“In Congress, she has worked on the issues you care about, such as lowering the cost of prescription drugs, bringing supply chains back to the United States and creating good jobs here in Michigan,” Obama said of Slotkin, encouraging the about 12,000 participants voted for her. “That’s the kind of person we need in Washington because presidents can’t do it alone.”