Shortly before the US election

Michelle Obama appears with Harris for the first time

Michelle Obama will make her first public appearance with Kamala Harris shortly before the US election. The two were expected to appear at an election event in the "swing state" of Michigan.

(Bild: APA/AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Just over a week before the US presidential election, prominent Democrat Michelle Obama is making her first public appearance alongside Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. 

The wife of former President Barack Obama and the incumbent Vice President were expected to attend an election rally together in Michigan on Saturday. The state is one of the seven so-called "swing states" that are likely to be decisive for victory on November 5.

Sharp criticism of Trump
Her appearance was expected in Kalamazoo. Around 200 kilometers away, Harris' Republican opponent Donald Trump was expected in Novi, a suburb of the car city of Detroit.

Ex-first lady Michelle Obama is the latest celebrity to appear before the US public alongside Harris.

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/CHIP SOMODEVILLA)

Obama is the latest celebrity to appear before US citizens alongside Harris. Musicians Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen were last on stage with her. Former wrestler Hulk Hogan and musician Kid Rock have also been on stage for Trump. Like her husband, Obama voiced harsh criticism of Trump at the Democratic Party conference in August.

Before incumbent President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed the ex-first lady clearly ahead in a hypothetical head-to-head comparison with Trump by 50 to 39 percent. However, Michelle Obama has repeatedly declared that she is not available for the presidency.

Close race 
The race between Harris and Trump, on the other hand, is extremely close. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, she is nominally ahead by 46% to 43%. However, this margin is actually within the margin of error. According to the statistics website FiveThirtyEight, her lead in Michigan is not even a full percentage point: 47.6 to 47.1 percent are reported here.

Can Kamala Harris prevail against Donald Trump in Michigan?

(Bild: AFP, Getty Images)

The decision in Michigan was already comparatively close in the last two votes: In the state with around 8.4 million registered voters today, Biden won by 150,000 votes in 2020, while Trump had prevailed against Hillary Clinton four years earlier by just 11,000 votes.

A difficult place
Michigan is also considered a difficult place for both candidates this year. The US state on the Great Lakes, which is shaped like a mitten and has a total population of ten million - slightly more than Austria - is home to a large Arab and Muslim minority that is uneasy about the Biden government's Middle East policy.

Union members from the car industry are concerned about how the switch to electric cars is transforming the industry in the USA. Harris and Obama are expected to focus on abortion rights, taxes and workers' rights, while Trump has promised in previous appearances in Michigan to introduce tax breaks for car purchases and restrictions on imports of Chinese vehicles.

For around a fifth of voters, however, the election duel from afar comes too late. Michigan is one of the states in which votes can be cast before the actual election (early voting). The Department of the Interior stated on Friday that just under 20 percent of registered voters had already voted either by absentee ballot or at the ballot box.