Beyoncé Boosts Kamala Harris at Biggest Campaign Rally To Date
Kamala Harris supporters waited for more than 12 hours to see the superstar at a Houston rally Friday night. Instead of hearing the superstar sing "Freedom," which is now inextricably connected to Harris' campaign through her first campaign video ad and which is blared at rallies, they listened as Beyoncé gave a moving endorsement for the presidential candidate
With Beyoncé as her warm-up act, Kamala Harris packed a Houston stadium Friday night with a late-campaign swing through a state where a win for her is unlikely, and wasn't the point. From deep in Texas, the Vice President's goal was for the rest of the country to hear her message: the abortion ban in Texas could become the national standard if Donald Trump is given a second term in the White House.
“Freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right and we are prepared to fight for it because we understand the stakes,” Harris told a crowd that brimmed with the kind of enthusiasm typically reserved for mega-events like a World Series or, well, a Beyoncé tour. “Texas, you are ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom.”
The Harris campaign said the 30,000 people in attendance made it their largest rally to date. The night’s biggest draw, of course, was Beyonce Knowles-Carter, the unparalleled artist who hails from Houston. Though she didn’t perform, Beyonce and her former Destiny’s Child co-headliner, Kelly Rowland, introduced the Vice President. And legend Willie Nelson, billed simply as “Texas voter,” also performed a two-song set earlier in the evening. Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mother, also made the case for a Harris presidency.
But it was Queen Bey who best understood the assignment. One of the most popular musicians on the planet, her political chops are less often used than other stars like Taylor Swift, who has also endorsed Harris. While Beyoncé has a clear history of backing Democratic candidates, her brand is one that extends beyond traditional corners, and her remarks landed firmly in that sweet zone.
“We are at the precipice of an incredible shift, the brink of history,” Beyoncé told the packed Shell Energy Stadium in her introduction of Harris. “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician, Beyoncé said, standing on stage in a black tailored suit next to Kelly Rowland, a member of Destiny's Child .
I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided.”
The Houston native and mother of three spoke about reproductive rights. "Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she said
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