Michigan Democrats are hosting a vice presidential debate watch party

Approximately 150 members of the Ann Arbor community gathered in the Arbor Brewing Company boardroom Tuesday evening for the Michigan Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential Debate Watch Party. The watch party was one of more than 100 events across the state hosted by ONECampaign for Michigan, a campaign team funded by the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee that organizes volunteerism, political events and petitions.

At the watch party, attendees were greeted with registration forms, ate pizza and appetizers and heard speakers including U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. To kick off the event, Dingell spoke about the importance of voting in the upcoming general election in Michigan, since it is a swing state.

“Right now, I can tell you that none of the candidates have won Michigan yet,” Dingell said. “We are a purple state and we need to get out of there. We have to tell people the truth. We have to give them the facts.”

ONECampaign for Michigan organizers encouraged participants to sign up for canvassing and phone calls. State Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, talked about how a few votes could have a big impact on the election.

“It’s such a small margin, and there’s so much going on in the world, in our community, in our state,” Morgan said. “We need every single one of you to remind people to vote to ensure we win every single vote in this election. This is the only way we will win.”

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Rackham student David Frey said he believes these voter mobilization efforts could make a difference in the election.

“People who lean left politically may not understand the importance of voting,” Frey said. “In my opinion, these are the people we want to reach when acquiring. I can see how it makes a difference.”

Throughout the watch party, the crowd cheered at the end of Tim Walz’s answers, laughed when candidates made a false statement or stumbled over their words, and booed when candidates spoke past their time limit.

In an interview with The Daily, attendee Cynthia Weber said she enjoyed attending the watch party because of the positive atmosphere the audience created.

“I love the energy that exists here,” Weber said. “Sometimes it’s just stimulating to be around people who are like-minded people.”

Weber talked about how the debate performance both met and failed to meet her expectations of Walz and JD Vance.

“I think Walz started a little weak; I felt like he was pretty nervous,” Weber said. “But I think he got stronger throughout and really scored some good points towards the end. I still believe he should have made it much clearer that Trump is a serious threat to our democracy.”

Lauretta Flowers, a University of Michigan graduate and retired English teacher, said in an interview with The Daily that she is hoping to run on the Harris-Walz ticket.

“We just need to change the climate and the feel of this world — it’s so negative now,” Flowers said. “The heinousness and evil of Trump alone makes me sick. (Harris) is a ray of hope and joy.”

Flowers spoke during the debate about her perspective on the dynamic between the vice presidential candidates.

“I’m proud of Walz,” Flowers said. “I think he really kept Vance in check.”

Daily Staff Reporter Ava Chatlosh can be reached at [email protected].

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