MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Our co-host, Leila Fadel, has wrapped up a week of reporting on the presidential campaign from Michigan and has one final dispatch from the swing state.
LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: Just before the Democratic primary in Michigan, I was also here talking to voters. I wanted to understand how young people were feeling in a state where they turned out more than anywhere else in the country. That helped President Biden win in 2020. But when I spoke to a group of students, I didn't find enthusiasm.
KAJA BRAZIEL: It is absolutely ridiculous that you can work 40-plus hours and not be able to support yourself, let alone a family.
JOVAN MARTIN: It's the idea of feeling like you're not listened to, feeling like we're not actually in a democracy, and it's something that's driven by power and wealth.
FADEL: That's Kaja Braziel and Jovan Martin. And now that Kamala Harris is at the top of the ticket, and the election is just a few weeks away, I called them back to see if they feel differently. And we caught up at a Panera Bread outside Detroit.
How many jobs do you have right now?
BRAZIEL: Oh, honey, we're not doing that right now. I'm trying to only be happy with one, but every time I look, and it's like, damn.
FADEL: Yeah.
BRAZIEL: I do need, like, three jobs.
FADEL: So the last time I was here, I remember you said - you were really just down on Biden and the candidates and had always voted Democrat. I mean, has it changed a lot for you in this race?
BRAZIEL: I would love to say that it has. The only thing that's changed is my surprise.
FADEL: What does that mean?
BRAZIEL: I'm still just as apprehensive about voting Democratic as I was to begin with. And unfortunately, even with the surprise of Kamala coming in as the Democratic nominee, we're still very confused. OK, what does that mean?
FADEL: Do you think people might assume that because you're a Black woman, you would have just come right on board?
BRAZIEL: I'm quite sure some people will assume that, and their assumptions are their own. I can be very proud of her and very happy that we have a moment like this, but it's not like it's the first time we've had a moment like this. It's just the first time that they've actually been able to package them up so nicely into this position. And honestly, this almost feels like a glass cliff they're trying to push my mans off of.
FADEL: Interesting. What do you mean?
BRAZIEL: There is a trend where when companies or corporations look to be going towards a downward spiral, they will put people of color or minorities in, like, the CEO positions or in the executive suite positions to be able to make decisions about stuff that has already been made, but they're going to get the blame for it when everything hits the floor. She's either going to be the cleanup woman, which is still a mammy, or she's going to be the fall woman.
FADEL: Jovan, what about you? Has anything changed for you?
J MARTIN: I think in terms of the economic side, there's things that I can applaud a little bit.
FADEL: Like what?
J MARTIN: I think that the child tax credit is a pretty good idea. She's not planning on taxing the wealthy as much as I would like as someone who considers themselves further on the left than she is. The most disappointing thing for me is the stance on immigration. She's taking a hard line, pretty conservative stance on immigration. So there's just a lot of appeasement going on there, and so I'm not excited. I will be voting for Kamala Harris. I'm not happy about it.
FADEL: What about you?
BRAZIEL: It's going to have to be Kamala.
FADEL: So you are going to vote for her.
BRAZIEL: I'm really having to deal with the idea that I am making decisions based off of stuff that I will never see come to fruition. I'm really just voting so that there are opportunities in place for other people to build upon it and do better than what I have the chance at right now.
FADEL: Tell me more about that. What do you mean?
BRAZIEL: So my train of thought right now are the many movements of people that came before us, like women voting or Black people being able to vote and everything in between that. There are people that fought for that tooth and nail that were never going to have the chance to do so. As much as I have always believed in that and always been really proud of that, I'm sitting here realizing that I'm going to have to change my mindset, because I don't think I'm going to get anything that I need or I want.
FADEL: What do you need? And what do you want?
BRAZIEL: I want to be able to take care of myself and my family and not feel like I am killing myself to do so. I don't want to be afraid to put things on auto pay (laughter). I don't want to really look at my partner and say, hey, let's hold off until I'm 60 and hope that I can still bear children.
FADEL: You both kind of seem sad, or is it just, like, it's late?
BRAZIEL: No, it's because this is sad. It is sad to have started being able to vote and thought it was the best thing ever and realizing everything sucks, and I hate doing all of this because it's just for show. You're not doing anything.
FADEL: What about you, Jovan?
J MARTIN: I grew up in a very, like, politically conscious household. I was a kid watching debates with my dad, and I loved it. And to kind of grow older, learn more and be more informed about the realities of the system, it's just disappointing.
M MARTIN: Michigan voters Jovan Martin and Kaja Braziel talking with our colleague, Leila Fadel, as part of NPR's election series, We, The Voters. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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