Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey to hold livestream rally from Michigan

DETROIT — Vice President Kamala Harris and talk show host Oprah Winfrey will be somewhere in Michigan Thursday night to participate in a virtual rally, according to the Democratic nominee’s campaign.

The Harris team announced the visit over the weekend, describing it as a “livestream event in collaboration with more than 140 grassroots groups.”

The in-person portion of the function will be small and occur at an undisclosed location in Metro Detroit, as first reported by the Michigan Chronicle and confirmed by the Harris campaign.

In a statement released Monday morning, Winfrey, a media mogul, actress and author, said she and Harris would be talking “about what is at stake in this election.”

“What is essential to me is getting people motivated to vote, and ensuring everyone makes a plan not only for themselves, but for their families and friends,” Winfrey said. “So, on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. ET, I am hosting a virtual event with Vice President Kamala Harris and voters from across our great nation to talk through these freedoms we’re fighting for and how you can help us win.”

The event will take place 47 days before the Nov. 5 election, in which Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are competing for votes in battleground states, including Michigan.

Trump, the former president, has scheduled a town hall event to take place in Flint on Tuesday night. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will be in rural Kent County on Tuesday afternoon.

Trump is the only Republican presidential nominee since 1988 to carry Michigan. He won the state against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by less than 1 percentage point, 47.5%-47.3%, or about 10,700 votes. But four years later, in 2020, Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden by 3 percentage points statewide, 48%-51%.

Winfrey spoke in support of Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 21.