Gretchen Whitmer, Debbie Dingell, Josh Gad speak at rally in Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR — In a final push to get out the vote among students at the University of Michigan, two of the state's Democratic heavyweights — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell — spoke at a rally in Ann Arbor on Monday night that also included down-ballot candidates in Tuesday's election and actor Josh Gad, who voiced the animated snowman Olaf in Disney's "Frozen" movies.
They took the stage at Rackham Auditorium just hours before the polls opened, telling a crowd of roughly 400 students and other supporters that there's too much at stake to sit out this election or to think their work is done once they've cast their ballots.
"The whole world is watching this state, and ... we've got a huge opportunity, and with that opportunity comes a responsibility," Whitmer said of Michigan, which is among a handful of swing states where the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is considered a toss-up.
Whitmer, who wore a navy blue Michigan Mom sweatshirt, urged students not only to vote, but to continue working to get others to the polls until they close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
"You're still supposed to keep it up," she said. "I know it's late in the term. Exams are happening. I get it."
But, she added: "When young Michiganders show up, we win. And we are going to win tomorrow, right?"
U-M students could hold the key to a Harris victory in this election, said Dingell, who lives in Ann Arbor and represents Michigan's 6th Congressional District.
'You're 25% of our population and 100% of our future'
In 2016, Trump won Michigan over Democrat Hillary Clinton by just 10,740 votes, which allowed him to claim Michigan's electoral votes and ultimately, the presidency.
In that same general election, Dingell said, "40,000 people didn't vote just in Ann Arbor," which had a population of about 119,000 in 2023, according to Census Bureau population estimates . Nearly one-quarter of the city's population are U-M students.
"There are people you know: your housemates, your dorm mates, your classmates, your family, your friends," Dingell said. "Please make sure that everybody you know goes and votes because it's our democracy that's at stake.
"My life's in your hands. You're 25% of our population and 100% of our future."
Dingell warned that Trump is a threat to democracy and to the safety of Arab Americans, as well as journalists, political foes, and others he has dubbed " the enemy from within ."
"You are the young people that have got to stand up against this hatred, ... against vitriol and against violence. And you have a choice in this election," she said.
Across the state in Grand Rapids on Monday night, Trump also made his final appeal to Michigan voters at Van Andel Arena, painting a grim picture of an America with a faltering economy and a worsening border crisis if his bid for the presidency fails.
"All we can do is keep winning, that's all. Win, win, win," he said, adding that if he is elected to a second term "your paychecks will be higher, your streets will be safer and cleaner, your communities will be richer," as he ushers in a "golden age."
Back in Ann Arbor, Gad said he flew to Michigan from California for the election eve event, hosted by U-M's College Democrats and Students for Harris.
"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like sane candidates," Gad said, drawing applause. "I'm raising my kids to lead with empathy, kindness, love and respect. Why can't we expect that from the leader of the free world? Shouldn't we want that? Don't we deserve that?
"I don't want to live in such an ugly place where people who say such wretched things about other human beings are rewarded. I'm tired of people being scapegoated. I'm tired of everybody being othered. I'm tired of the hate. I'm tired of the vitriol. I like more hugs."
Gad, a self-proclaimed Miami Dolphins fan, had two predictions: "The Lions are going to win the Super Bowl ... and we're gonna elect the first female president."
"History has its eyes on you, Michigan," he said, referencing a line from Lin Manuel Miranda's hit Broadway musical, "Hamilton."
"It's got its eyes on you. ... You get the chance to be the superheroes in this story. You get the chance to save us. You get to create a history in which I can look at my daughters and say, 'You see that? ... You can be president one day.' "
Detroit Free Press staff writer Arpan Lobo contributed to this story. Contact Kristen Shamus: Subscribe to the Free Press.
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