Detroit, MI

5 memorable visits to Detroit by presidential candidates on Labor Day

Published

2 years ago

September 1, 2024

5 memorable visits to Detroit by presidential candidates on Labor Day

Vice President Kamala Harris is a political trailblazer as the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to win a major party’s nomination for president.

But she follows a decades-old tradition of Democratic presidential candidates when she visits Detroit this Labor Day, a holiday marking the end of summer and, historically, the day presidential campaigns launch into overdrive for the fall stretch.

Big union cities such as New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh have also attracted big-name politicos on the first Monday in September but no city has been more closely associated with the American labor movement than Detroit. Combine that with Michigan’s status as a battleground state and the appeal for Democrats to visit Detroit on Labor Day is clear.

Though Detroit has celebrated Labor Day since the late 1800s, it’s only in about the last 75 years that Labor Day has drawn presidential candidates to the city.

Until after World War II, “labor in its contemporary form hadn’t risen to the level that it has now,” said Marick Masters, a professor emeritus of business at Wayne State University in Detroit. “As it grew in power, particularly in the Democratic Party, Democratic politicians wanted to pay allegiance to the labor movement” by making holiday visits to Detroit and other union strongholds, he said.

More: Kamala Harris to return to metro Detroit on Labor Day

More: Michigan State Fair returns with circus, new farmer’s market, more: Here’s what to expect

Here are five notable Labor Day visits to Detroit by past presidential candidates.

Harry S. Truman, 1948

Harry S. Truman visited Detroit as an incumbent president but a political underdog.

He would go on to defeat Republican New York Gov. Thomas Dewey in what was seen as one of the greatest political upsets in U.S. history, and considered Detroit his “lucky city,” the Detroit Free Press reported at the time.

That’s because he had also campaigned in the Motor City on Labor Day in 1944, as a candidate for vice president to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who that November won an unprecedented fourth term.

The local AFL and CIO affiliates, which sometimes competed to organize the same workers, had made a joint invitation to Truman at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. That was viewed as a healthy sign for labor unity, though the entities would not merge until 1955.

“A free and strong labor movement is our best bulwark against communism,” Truman, who was accompanied by his daughter Margaret, told a large crowd in Cadillac Square in Detroit.

At the time of Truman’s visit, union members were still outraged by the 1946 passage — over Truman’s veto — of the Taft-Hartley Act, which took effect in 1947 and banned wildcat strikes, closed shops, and mass picketing, among other restrictions on union activities.

Taft-Hartley “is only a foretaste of what you will get if Republican reaction is allowed to grow,” Truman told the crowd in Detroit.

Inflation was an election issue then, as it is today. Truman in 1946 had vetoed a bill to extend price controls, introduced under Roosevelt, saying he did not believe the legislation would prevent prices from rising.

Adlai Stevenson, 1952

Not every Democrat who campaigns for president in Detroit on Labor Day goes on to win.

Adlai Stevenson, who lost to Republican Dwight Eisenhower, is a case in point.

As reported in the Detroit Free Press, the crowd of 25,000 gave “cheers of anticipation” when Michigan Gov. G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams introduced Stevenson, the governor of Illinois, as “a great friend of labor.”

But those cheers “became much milder as Stevenson expounded his views on labor relations,” and the crowd “began disintegrating,” the newspaper reported.

“You are not my captives and I am not yours,” Stevenson told the largely pro-union audience. “I intend to do exactly what I think right and best for all of us — business, labor, agriculture, alike. You, too, will do exactly what you think best at the election.”

Though he called for changes to Taft-Hartley, Stevenson rejected unionists’ labeling of it as a “slave labor” law, the Free Press reported.

“We cannot tolerate shutdowns which threaten our national safety,” Stevenson said. “The right to bargain collectively does not include the right to stop the national economy.”

Stevenson returned to Detroit on Labor Day in 1956, launching another unsuccessful campaign for the White House.

John F. Kennedy, 1960

The crowd in Cadillac Square was estimated at 60,000 when the charismatic senator from Massachusetts, on his way to a razor-thin victory over Vice President Richard Nixon, launched a withering attack on the Eisenhower administration.

John F. Kennedy said that stagnant growth under the Republican president had cost each American $7,000.

As reported in the Free Press, Kennedy said the labor movement “is people,” and the enemies of labor are the enemies of “all progress.”

“The two cannot be separated,” Kennedy said. “The man and the party who opposes a decent increase in minimum wage is not likely to be more generous toward a badly underpaid school teacher.”

Democratic State Chairman Neil Staebler called Kennedy “the best campaigner to hit Michigan since Franklin D. Roosevelt,” who had visited Detroit, but never on Labor Day.

Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964

Michigan Democratic delegates generally, and union members specifically, were vocally unhappy with Kennedy’s selection of Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate at the 1960 Democratic National Convention.

But both labor activists and Johnson — who didn’t visit Michigan once during the 1960 campaign — were willing to put those memories behind them when Johnson came to Detroit as president, less than one year after Kennedy was assassinated.

Reporters marveled at the willingness of Johnson, accompanied by his wife, Lady Bird, to mingle with the huge crowd outside what was then the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel, shaking as many hands as possible, amid high security and understandably nervous Secret Service agents, the Free Press reported.

In a bipartisan gesture, Detroit labor leaders invited Republican Gov. George Romney to join Johnson on the speaking platform.

“Hospitality is not limited to those with whom we share all our views, as this occasion, and the visits of other presidential candidates, will bear out,” Romney said.

Barack Obama 2011

President Barack Obama’s Labor Day visit to Detroit was unusual in that it did not occur during an election year.

With another year still to go in his first term, Obama visited Detroit amid persistent high unemployment to celebrate his 2009 stimulus package that included an $81 billion federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler, which is now known as Stellantis.

He was drumming up support for a major jobs plan he was about to present to Congress, where the U.S. House was Republican-controlled.

Speaking at a GM parking lot next to the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Obama credited the auto industry with the creation of the middle class in Michigan and across the nation.

“Our economy is stronger when workers are getting paid good wages and good benefits,” Obama said. “Having a voice on the job and a chance to get organized and the chance to negotiate for a fair day’s pay … is the right of every man and woman in America, not just the CEO in the corner office, but also the janitor who cleans that office.”

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.

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Detroit, MI

Here’s what Metro Detroit homebuyers face heading into spring season

Published

1 hour ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Here’s what Metro Detroit homebuyers face heading into spring season

Julie Thomas had been searching since January for a house that would give her more space for herself and her two dogs while moving her closer to work. After seeing several homes quickly snapped up, she recently went under contract for a home in Shelby Township.

“I’m very happy that we are at least working on one and that the offer was accepted,” she said. “I was definitely getting discouraged continuing to look. I’m obviously relieved from that aspect of it.”

Thomas, 25, is among Metro Detroit homebuyers experiencing a housing market in a transitional moment on multiple fronts. As the peak spring buying season begins, more listings are coming online and activity is picking up after a slower winter, even as mortgage rates have climbed back above 6%. At the same time, the average homebuyer is older than in past years, highlighting how affordability is shaping who is able to enter the market.

The median first-time homebuyer in 2025 was 40 years old, up from 30 in 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors, while Redfin reports a median age of 35. And older buyers aren’t slowing down. When including repeat buyers, those upgrading, downsizing or buying vacation homes, the median age of all U.S. homebuyers jumps to 59, up from 39 in 2010, according to Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok, who analyzed the NAR data.

Redfin puts the median age of repeat buyers at about 47. That means people aren’t just buying their first homes later. Older Americans are buying multiple times later in life instead of staying put.

Market has more showings, more buyers

The upcoming spring market is expected to bring increased activity after a winter of slower sales and moderated price increases. There were fewer homes sold in February in Metro Detroit, with year-over-year sales down and prices rising modestly.

“I would say it does feel that we are entering the very early stages of our spring market,” said Jeanette Schneider, president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan. “We’re seeing more activity. There’s more showings being scheduled. There are more buyers out there. They’re looking, which is good. It’s something that we want to see at this time of the year.”

Home sale activity across Metro Detroit, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties, was down year-over-year with 2,660 transactions, down from 2,864 last year, according to the latest RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan housing report. The median sales price was relatively stable, slipping to $297,500 from $300,000 in January, but up from $293,375 last year. Inventory levels remained between three and four months of supply, while homes continued to sell at a steady pace of about 40 days on market, according to the report.

Across a broader area covering 18 Michigan counties, new listings in February rose year-over-year, increasing 3.6% to 8,516 from 8,224, according to the latest Realcomp report. The report includes Genesee, Hillsdale, Huron, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Tuscola, Washington and Wayne counties.

“I know that sales are down, but I do think that it’s positive to have the homes on the market increase for those that are searching for a home, to give them more opportunity to find what they’re looking for,” said Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp II Ltd. “That’s been seriously missing, like last year and this year or the year before. And so it’s nice to have, nice to see that improving so that again, they have more to choose from, especially first-time homebuyers, it’s really nice that they have more options.”

The Realcomp report also notes that pending sales fell 7.5% to 6,327 from 6,842, and closed sales decreased 10.1% to 5,794 from 6,443. The median sale price increased 2.9% to $262,000 from $254,500, and homes spent an average of 52 days on the market, up slightly from 50 days a year ago. The report also found that about 26% of new listings and 34.9% of pending sales were both listed and pending in the same month.

“To see that many homes listed and sold, or at least under contract, in the same month is very encouraging,” Kage said.

Rates influence buyers

Mortgage interest rates have ticked back above 6% after briefly dipping below that level in late February for the first time since 2022, according to Freddie Mac, coinciding with the increase in the 10‑year Treasury yield.

“Despite the modest uptick, buyers are responding to rates in this range, with existing-home sales increasing 1.7% in February,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Purchase applications also increased this week, a welcome sign as buyers enter spring homebuying season with rates down more than half a percentage point compared to the same time last year.”

The mortgage rate environment has had an impact on buyer behavior. “And while interest rates have kind of gone back to right about 6%, they’ve been pretty stable,” Schneider said. “That also helps buyers feel confident in moving forward.”

Kristie Lohmann, a Realtor associate with RE/MAX First in Shelby Township, said seeing rates just under 6% has been encouraging, though they’re higher than the record lows of recent years.

“People that bought a home during COVID got the 3% interest, and they’re not going anywhere because they don’t want to pay more now,” she said. “If you want to do something and you can afford the higher payment, do it and hope the rates come down. But it’s still a factor buyers have to consider.”

Affordability is impacting who enters the housing market and when. Angie Sierra, a Southfield-based agent with RE/MAX City Centre, said the typical first-time buyer she sees is 35 to 40.

“I do see quite a bit of young homeowners as well,” she said. “I have a few college students that have purchased a home, but overall, the average is in the upper 30s to early 40s.”

Among those buyers is Erica Johnson, 35, and her fiancé, Stephaun Patterson-Lovelace Sr., 36, who recently purchased their first home in Garden City for $237,900 through a land contract. It’s a three-bedroom, one-bath house with a two-car garage, fenced backyard and space for their blended family of four children, ages 9 to 18. Johnson said the process was challenging but rewarding.

Given the average age of first-time homebuyers, Johnson, a pharmacy technician, said she was told that she and Patterson-Lovelace, an Xfinity technician, were “right where they needed to be” in terms of buying a house.

“So it feels really good to not have to worry about rent, to not have to worry about somebody else’s rules and all this other stuff,” she said. “We get our own, and we can stay pretty much as long as we want to. But then we also have equity in the house moving forward.”

First-timers face high prices for lots of work

The condition of homes is another challenge for buyers, particularly first-time buyers.

Lohmann noted that many properties come on the market in less-than-ideal shape, sometimes prompting buyers to pay high prices for homes that require significant work.

“I walk in some houses and say, ‘What are they asking for this house?’” Lohmann said. “They weren’t in the best condition, and I was kind of shocked what the seller was asking.”

A move-in-ready home can make all the difference for first-time buyers. That was the case for Thomas, the first-time homebuyer from Chesterfield Township, who began her search focusing on Sterling Heights, Shelby Township and Clinton Township to be closer to her job as a registered dietitian in Pontiac.

She said her search was challenging, with homes selling quickly and prices high relative to their condition.

“Being in it makes you realize just how expensive everything is for not much, whatever you’re going to get,” she said. “It can be discouraging for sure, thinking about the market and the economy and everything.”

Thomas found a home in Shelby Township that fit her budget, making an offer of $275,500. The three-bedroom, one-bath home includes a two-car garage, a fenced backyard, a shed, a fireplace and brand-new appliances.

The home is largely move-in ready, with the recent inspection helping her identify typical maintenance needs, she said: “It’s just too (great to) pass up.”

Buyers have to maintain realistic expectations, said Marcy Soufrine, an agent with Keller Williams, especially amid tight inventory and rising prices. That often means adjusting priorities.

“They’re willing to look at slightly smaller homes, different locations, or just wait for the right opportunity,” she said, adding that sellers are starting to prepare their homes for the spring market, which could add more options for buyers.

“I’ve been talking to more people who are thinking about putting their homes on the market in the next few months. They want to get an idea of what they need to do to get their homes ready and where we can price them,” she said. “Anyone that wants to list should do it before May, June, July, because when more homes hit the market at the same time, you have more competition.”

As for Johnson, she and her fiancé worked out a deal for seller financing to make their first home purchase possible. They plan to move in and gradually make improvements, including adding a bathroom in the basement.

“We basically can move in and just fix it up over time,” she said. “But it’s our house, and it’s something we have, and we can build on that.”

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

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Detroit, MI

Human remains found in 1977 in California identified as Detroit-area native

Published

13 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Human remains found in 1977 in California identified as Detroit-area native

A woman whose remains were found nearly 50 years ago in California has been identified as a Detroit-area native, with her death considered a homicide.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office in California reported on March 18 that the woman who was known in their community as “Emigrant Gap Jane Doe” is confirmed to be Melinda “Pip” Beardsley, a woman who had been missing since the mid 1970s.

The remains of Melinda “Pip” Beardsley, which were found in 1977 in California, have been identified through DNA technology and genetic genealogy. Beardsley was born in Michigan and is believed to have been living in Nevada at the time she went missing.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office in California

The break in the case came through advancements in DNA technology and decades of investigative work, the sheriff’s office said.

Beardsley’s remains were discovered amid a snowbank on Dec. 17, 1977, in the Emigrant Gap area of Placer County.

“Investigators later determined she had been strangled to death. Despite extensive investigative efforts over the years, her identity remained unknown,” the sheriff’s office said.

Those attempts included distributing her fingerprints and identifying information to law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada, including submitting a report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said its agency requested exhumation of her remains in 2011 in hopes that newer forensic techniques could identify her. A partial DNA profile was created in 2018; further testing happened over the years.

By 2025, a DNA profile with sufficient details for “investigative genetic genealogy” was finally available. With that information, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Investigations team began working with Moxxy Forensic Investigations. This nonprofit organization works with law enforcement agencies on investigative genetic genealogy and missing-person cases.

In the meantime, Beardsley’s family was working with The Doe Network, a volunteer organization that focuses on missing and unidentified person cases. The Doe Network reached out to Moxxy Forensics.

Moxxy Forensics reviewed Beardsley’s life and the circumstances known about her disappearance, efforts that led to a possible connection to Emigrant Gap Jane Doe. DNA comparison testing took place, and test results were confirmed during February 2026.

Beardsley was born in 1946 in rural Michigan, just north of Detroit, Moxxy Forensics said. The last time anyone in the family confirmed her location was in 1976, in Carson City, Nevada.

“This identification hopefully provides long-awaited answers to Beardsley’s family, but the work is not done. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the homicide of Melinda Beardsley,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Every unidentified person is someone’s child, sibling, or parent,” said Katie Thomas/Co-Founder of Moxxy Forensic Investigations. “Restoring Melinda’s name restores her dignity. We are honored to stand beside her family and our law enforcement partners in this work.”

Authorities ask that anyone with information about Beardsley’s homicide contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Tip Line at 530-889-7830.

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Detroit, MI

Pistons’ old rivals arrive in Detroit on hot streak, looking like NBA title contenders

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Pistons’ old rivals arrive in Detroit on hot streak, looking like NBA title contenders

Detroit — The Detroit Pistons understand how a winning streak can change the season’s trajectory. The Pistons won 13 consecutive games in October-November, tying the record for the longest streak in franchise history. It catapulted them to championship contention and the top of the Eastern Conference with a 51-19 record.

A handful of teams have had long winning streaks of their own since the Pistons’ 13-gamer. The latest are the Los Angeles Lakers. After defeating the Orlando Magic Saturday night inside Kia Center, the Lakers arrive in Detroit on Monday on a nine-game winning streak. It’s the league’s second-longest current winning streak, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won 11 consecutive games.

Lakers are legit NBA championship contenders

Similar to the impact of the Pistons’ winning streak in Detroit, the Lakers’ streak has them looking like they’ll be into the final stretch of the season as one of the few teams with a legitimate chance to capture the NBA championship.

“Their health and continuity are different,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “When you go back and look at that stretch (in December, when the Lakers were 5-7), they had guys who were in and out. Now, there has been consistency among the guys on the floor. At the end of the day, they are a talented team.”

Things were different for the Lakers when the Pistons visited Crypto.com Arena in December, taking a 128-106 victory in Los Angeles. The Lakers are 46-25 now, but they were not regarded as a contender at the time.

At the time, the Lakers faced numerous questions about their poor defensive performance. They had the fifth-worst defense in the league, with a net rating of 117.8, while opponents averaged 117.3 points per game. During their nine-game winning streak, however, defense has become one of the primary factors in their success.

Luka Doncic, LeBron James power Lakers’ surge

With a net rating of 113.1, the Lakers have ranked 10th in defense over the past nine games. During their winning streak, they have given up an average of 112.6 points per game. The Lakers’ recent success has been a team effort, but nothing has impacted their second-half surge more than the performances of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Since the trade that sent Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers in February 2025, it appears that he and James have finally found a way to play off each other. It is also worth noting that much of the Lakers’ streak has been due to Austin Reaves playing at an All-Star level, averaging 23.3 points and 6.0 assists over the last nine games.

“We assume that when you put talent on the floor, it is going to work automatically. But talent takes time to gel,” Bickerstaff said. “They have had time to gel and figure one another out. Two great playmakers like LeBron and Luka, learning how to pick their spots with one another, learning how to play off one another, how to make each other better, all of that stuff takes time — and I think you are seeing that now.”

For the first time in his career, James has taken the backseat to a teammate, which has allowed Doncic to play arguably the best basketball of his career. Doncic has been at the forefront of Los Angeles’ surge, averaging 40.0 points on .490%/.403%/.769% shooting splits. He scored 60 points in the Lakers’ victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.

When the Lakers take the floor at Little Caesars Arena Monday night, however, Los Angeles may be without Doncic. He received his 16th technical foul of the season, which could result in a one-game suspension if the Lakers’ appeal is denied.

‘Not a ton of dropoff’ in LeBron James’ game

If the Lakers must play without Doncic, count on the 41-year-old James continuing to perform at a high level to keep Los Angeles competitive. Playing a lesser role this season has helped James stay productive in his 23rd NBA season, given that he has averaged 19.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists during the streak.

“His basketball IQ is through the roof, but he is shooting the ball at a higher clip than he did earlier in his career, percentage-wise,” Bickerstaff said. “He still has the ability to get to the paint, play through contact. As amazing as it is, there is not a ton of dropoff from where his skill set is, as well as his ability to make people around him better.”

Without Cade Cunningham (pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain), the Pistons will continue to be significantly shorthanded against the Lakers. But despite playing without two of their most important players, the Pistons remain confident they can hand the Lakers their first loss in 19 days.

The Pistons have overcome their injury issues, winning six of their past seven games. They have been successful by cleaning up their post-All-Star slippage, getting back to the standard that once led them to win 13 consecutive wins, and establishing themselves among the league’s elite teams this season.

Lakers at Pistons

▶ Tip-off: 7 p.m. Monday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

▶ TV/radio: FDSN/97.1

▶ Outlook: Since Cade Cunningham has been out due to a collapsed lung, Daniss Jenkins has performed well in the absence of the All-NBA guard. While coming up just short of his first career triple-double in Friday’s win over the Golden State Warriors, Jenkins has averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds over the last two games.

coty.davis@detroitnews.com

@cotydavis_24

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Coty Davis and Tarohn Finley take a look at the Pistons on verge of milestone 50th win Thursday.

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