Harris says the US is facing a “health care crisis” because of abortion. A meeting with Michelle Obama will follow

By Darlene Superville, Aamer Madhani and Chris Megerian | Associated Press

PORTAGE, Mich. – Kamala Harris returned to Michigan on Saturday for a meeting with former first lady Michelle Obama, the latest in a series of high-level meetings of her campaign aimed at increasing the number of loyalists among the Democratic Party.

After Harris arrived on the battlefield, she went to a local doctor in Portage to talk to health care providers and medical students about the impact of abortion restrictions. One of them said they have patients who travel to other parts of the country where there are strict restrictions on abortion, and another said he was worried that people would not want to practice in important areas of the country. medicine due to fear of government interference.

“We are looking at a health care crisis in America that affects people of all backgrounds and genders,” Harris told reporters before visiting the doctor.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden went to a rally in Pittsburgh to promote Harris’ support for organized labor, telling the audience to “follow your gut” and “do the right thing.”

Harris appeared with Beyoncé on Friday in Houston, and campaigned with former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on Thursday in Atlanta.

It’s a celebrity status that surpasses anything that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has managed to achieve this year. But there is no guarantee that will help Harris in the close race for the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump despite firing up his crowds with songs and Democratic allies.

Trump dismissed Harris’ efforts to use star power for his campaign.

“Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” the former president said Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, is scheduled to hold a rally in Novi, a suburb of Detroit, on Saturday before a later event in University College, Pennsylvania.

Harris and Michelle Obama will be in Kalamazoo, in the southwestern part of the country. It will be the first time a first lady has beaten Harris.

It’s also the first day that in-person voting can take place across Michigan. More than 1.4 million votes have been cast, representing 20% ​​of registered voters.

When Clinton was fighting Trump, Michelle Obama inspired the Democrats with the slogan “when they go down, we go up.”

But this year, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he adopted a more radical approach. He accused Trump of “doubling down on ugly, loose, racist propaganda as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will improve people’s lives.”

Biden traveled to Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon for a campaign event with the International Labor Organization of North America.

He said Harris once walked the ballot line with the United Auto Workers — “he’s got a back like a ramrod” — when Trump disparaged organized labor.

“He views unions as an impediment to the accumulation of wealth for individuals,” Biden said. “It’s for the workers to beat Donald Trump, more than any other race you’ve ever been in.”

Biden’s remarks to the largely male audience spoke to the gender divide that has been a constant feature of this year’s presidential race.