GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — With 18 days left until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Grand Rapids, reminding supporters that “we are all in this together.”

“Eighteen days. Eighteen days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And as you know and as everyone knows, this election is about two very different visions of our nation: Ours that is focused on the future (and) Donald Trump’s that is focused on the past,” Harris told a crowd of about 6,000, according to estimates from police, at a Friday rally at Riverside Park.

She said the Harris-Walz vision of the nation focuses on bringing down the cost of living for working families, investing in small business entrepreneurs and protecting reproductive freedom.

“…It is time to turn the page because America is ready to chart a new way forward. America is ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership that is all of us … which is why Democrats, Republicans and independents are supporting our campaign,” Harris said.

Earlier this week, over 100 Republicans joined her on the campaign trail, Harris said.

“I believe all of this shows the American people want a president who works for all people. And that has been the story of my career. I have only ever had one client: the people,” she said. “As a young courtroom prosecutor, I protected women and children. As attorney general in California, I fought for students and veterans. As vice president, I have stood up for workers and seniors. And as president, I will stand up for all Americans. All Americans.”

She promised to build an opportunity economy, bring down the cost of housing, help entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses, expand Medicare and lower the cost of groceries and health care.

“My plan will also give middle-class tax cuts to 100 million Americans, including a $6,000 tax credit for the first year of a child’s life so parents can do what they naturally want to do, which is parent their children well, but they don’t always have the resources to be able to do it,” she said.

The plan, Harris explained, also invests in American manufacturing and innovation to make sure that “America, not China wins the competition for the 21st century.”

“And so, to that point and with pride, we must and we will invest in the industries that built America, like steel, iron and the great American auto industry. And we will ensure that the next generation of breakthroughs from advanced batteries to electric vehicles are not just invented but built right here in America by American union workers,” she said.

If elected, she said, she would work with unions to create jobs that don’t require a college degree.

“I know that a college degree is not the only measure of skills and experience of a qualified worker,” she said, adding that she would reassess federal jobs to see which shouldn’t have that requirement and then challenge the private sector to do the same.

in 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. Harris said that if elected and if Congress sends a bill to restore reproductive freedom to her desk, she would sign it.

“And across the nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on other hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights, fundamental freedoms and rights. I’m traveling our country. I mean attacks on the freedom to vote. (Did) you know in the state of Georgia, they passed a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water to people standing in line to vote? You know, the hypocrisy abounds. What happened to ‘Love thy neighbor?'” she said.

She said there have also been attacks on the freedom to join a union, to be safe from gun violence and to love who you love openly and with pride.

“So much is on the line this election, and you all are spending your precious time here together because we know this is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher this time,” Harris said.

Harris wasn’t the only high-profile Democrat in metro Grand Rapids Friday: Six governors from around the country stopped for coffee in Wyoming in the morning, working to drum up support in Midwestern swing states. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pulled up in a Harris-Walz branded bus and unloaded at The Stray on S. Division Avenue near 44hth Street.

“This is a group of happy warriors for Harris and Walz,” Whitmer said. “We are talking to everyone, we are getting into communities that sometimes are written off, because we believe everyone matters we believe that every vote is important and we are working hard to earn them.”

While staff at The Stray were prepared for the visit, customers were surprised at the big crowd. Whitmer asked people about their plans to vote, their careers and their hopes for the country.

In response to Harris’ visit, Michigan Republicans criticized the Biden-Harris administration on immigration, a key campaign issue for Trump, and tax proposals, saying they would not help the middle class.

“The Republicans are for the middle class, whether it’s at the federal level or at the state level,” Republican State Leadership Committee spokesperson Mason Di Palma told News 8 in a Zoom interview before Harris’ remarks.

Di Palma called on voters to pay attention to the down-ballot races, urging them to elect Republicans to the Michigan Legislature. Democrats currently hold the majority in the Legislature; Republicans would like to regain it. 

With absentee voting already underway in the presidential election, the race is neck-and-neck in Michigan and several other key battleground states. An Emerson College Polling survey released last week recorded an outright tie in Michigan, with 49% of voters saying they intended to vote for Harris and 49% for former President Donald Trump.

Both candidates know how important Michigan is as the election looms: The Associated Press track of both campaigns’ public events shows a combined 36 visits to Michigan since March. Trump was also expected in Michigan Friday, with an event in the Detroit area.

Early in-person voting must begin statewide by Oct. 26. Election Day is Nov. 5.