DETROIT – American actress and passionate activist Kerry Washington campaigned in Metro Detroit on Monday ahead of Election Day for the Biden-Harris campaign.
The Scandal star spoke one-on-one with Local 4 anchor Rhonda Walker and had a message to share with the community on the importance of voting. You can watch the entire interview in the video player above.
Washington, 43, made three stops in Metro Detroit on Monday including the Inkster Recreation Complex, a volunteer canvass launch in Taylor and a voter mobilization event in Detroit.
“I get so angry when those people who are in power right now pretend that we are not facing these crises. That we don’t have this problem...our administration has to do better. You can’t stick your head in the sand and pretend that the economy is getting better because we had a day when the stock market went up. The stock market is not the economy. We know what the economy is. We know that people are struggling, that people are out of work,” said Washington while speaking to a crowd during her visit to Wayne County.
When asked about traveling to Michigan to campaign on behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign Washington noted that she doesn’t live in a state where the election is going to be decided.
Michigan is a battleground state with both candidates vying for electoral votes that could have major implications on the election’s outcome.
She visited Michigan alongside her husband Nnamdi Asomugha.
“We don’t live in a state where the election is going to be decided and so we have been spending some time traveling to states where it’s going to matter the most. Michigan was at the top of that list for us. It’s such an important state," said Washington.
She emphasized the importance of voting and holding elected officials accountable.
”I love encouraging people to vote because for me voting is an act of self love, self care, it is how I show up and express my values to my elected officials...I think sometimes we forget those elected officials work for us. We pay their salaries with our tax dollars and so we need to vote because we need to boss up. We need to let them know how we think and how we feel, so that when they are leading this country they are doing so according to our beliefs and values," she added.
For those who believe their vote does not count, Washington had this message to share: “Your vote does matter, that is why we are here. That’s why we left California to come here just to remind people your vote truly matters. You can make a difference. You can be about saving this democracy and making America live up to the dream of its potential.”