Kamala Harris to tour Flint small businesses Tuesday before events in Detroit

Detroit Free Press

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris plans to visit small businesses in Flint before heading to several Detroit events during her trip to Michigan on Tuesday.

Harris' visit underscores the ongoing electoral importance of the state. The California senator's visit to Michigan comes one week after President Donald Trump hosted a rally outside Saginaw and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden held an event in Warren.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat and candidate for president visits local businesses in Detroit on July 29, 2019, including the Narrow Way Cafe and Shop and Good Cakes and Bakes on Livernois, before she participates in debates that will be held at the Fox Theater.

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Harris will tour Flint businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the morning, according to the Biden campaign. The announcement did not specify which businesses.

She'll head to Detroit in the afternoon for a " 'Shop Talk' roundtable conversation with Black men," according to the campaign.

Harris will end the day in Detroit, with an event encouraging residents to register to vote in recognition of National Voter Registration Day. She'll highlight the fact that Thursday is the first day in Michigan where residents can vote in person at their local clerk's office.

By Thursday, clerks must start mailing absentee ballots to voters who submitted an application. That same day, anyone can go to their local clerk's office, request an absentee ballot and fill it out in person.

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More:Joe Biden still has big lead on Donald Trump in Michigan — but it's shrinking, poll shows

Biden, Harris and the Democratic ticket need higher voter turnout in Flint and Detroit in order to secure a win in Michigan. A new poll, conducted for the Free Press, showed Biden's support in Michigan slipped slightly with Black voters, from 89% in a July poll to 76% now.

Low vote totals out of Detroit doomed Hillary Clinton in 2016, helping Trump secure the state by 10,704 votes.

Election Day is Nov. 3, but registered voters may request an absentee ballot now.

Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.