GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Gwen Walz, the wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, campaigned in Grand Rapids Sunday, calling on a congregation at a local church to “get our souls to those polls.”

Gwen Walz’s first stop was at Renaissance Church of God in Christ, where she attended a service and addressed the congregation.

“Thank you for welcoming me. Thank you for the inspirational prayer before service and all of this community coming together,” she opened her remarks.

She was expected later at First Community A.M.E. Church and a voting canvass event. Both Renaissance and First Community have majority Black congregations. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has been working to encourage Black voters, particularly Black men, to go to the polls for her.

Walz praised the music and prayer at Renaissance that preceded her remarks.

“I have to tell you, my church in Minnesota is a Lutheran church. And once in a while, out loud, we say, ‘Amen.’ But that’s a big day for us,” she joked. “So this is amazing to be part of.”

She said the value of community praise demonstrated at the church and a belief in serving others has driven her husband’s approach to public service.

“(In this election), we have a chance to end this dark era of division, where neighbor is pitted against neighbor, when conversations about politics put you just on the edge, where hatred and violence loom large. Instead, we can and I choose a better future, where everyone is worthy of dignity and safety and respect. Where everyone, everyone can build the life we choose,” Walz said. “Like buying a home of your own or starting a small business, building generational wealth for our families and retiring with dignity. Where everyone, everyone has the freedom to vote, to live without gun violence and to make our own choices about our own bodies and our own families, whatever they may be. Because freedom is a gift from God and not from any man to take away.”

She acknowledged “one election won’t fix everything.”

“And I know you’ve heard promises. But voting is not just an act of blind hope; it is an act of power. It is how we make a statement about the world that we want to see. It is how we stand in solidarity with communities who need us most and who we most need. And it’s how we make our voices heard. So let us show what Michigan is made of,” Walz said.

With early in-person voting wrapping up statewide Sunday and Election Day looming, both campaigns are making a final push in Michigan. Harris has three events in Michigan Sunday, wrapping up with a rally at Michigan State University in the evening. Former President Donald Trump has scheduled his final rally for Grand Rapids Monday night, as he did the previous two elections.

Michigan is among seven key battleground states expected to determine the outcome of the election. An EPIC-MRA poll released Friday showed 48% of Michigan voters surveyed said they would vote for Harris and 45% for Trump. With a margin of error of plus or minus 4%, that’s a statistical tie.

As of Saturday, nearly 880,000 people had voted early in person statewide and more than 1.9 million absentee ballots had been cast, state data shows. Absentee ballots may still be returned to your clerk by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Election Day voting runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. statewide. You can check your sample ballot and find your polling place on Michigan.gov/vote.

Walz called on voters to “make a plan” to vote and stick with it:

“Do not let a sick child get in the way. Do not let road construction get in the way. Do not let get grocery shopping get in the way. Let nothing get in your way,” she said. “Do not cede your power.”