Beyoncé is expected to rally with Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston on Friday, and the Democratic presidential nominee has long expressed her praise for the musical superstar.
Beyoncé’s planned appearance was reported by the Associated Press, citing three people familiar with the matter. Harris is set to appear in Houston, Beyoncé hometown, on Friday to campaign alongside U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred, who is challenging Republican Senator Ted Cruz in one of the most closely contested Senate races across the country.
Newsweek has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment via email.
While Beyoncé, whose full name is Beyoncé Knowles, hasn’t officially made public comments on this year’s election, she has allowed Harris to use her music on the campaign trail. Her song “Freedom” has become an anthem for the Harris campaign. She will be the latest high-profile celebrity to back Harris in the neck-and-neck race against former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Harris has over the years voiced support for Knowles. Earlier this year, the vice president complimented her after the release of Cowboy Carter, Knowles’ latest album that takes inspiration from country music.
“Beyoncé: Thank you for reminding us to never feel confined to other people’s perspective of what our lane is. You have redefined a genre and reclaimed country music’s Black roots. Your music continues to inspire us all,” Harris wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, in March.
In July, Harris told People magazine that her favorite Beyoncé song is “Break My Soul,” from her 2022 album Renaissance.
“I just love that song,” Harris said. “I play it all the time. I think it’s one of the anthems for women…when [Beyoncé says] ‘you,’ you could be life, you could be a person, you could be a situation. You will not break my soul. I can endure.”
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Jonesboro, Georgia, on October 20. Beyoncé performs in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 29, 2023. Beyoncé is expected to rally with Harris in Houston on Friday.
Megan Varner/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood
Harris also attended the “Renaissance World Tour” with her husband Doug Emhoff in August 2023. The AP reported that Harris disclosed the tickets were a gift from Knowles in her personal finance disclosure form.
“Thanks for a fun date night, @Beyonce!” Harris wrote on Instagram.
In 2018, Harris described Beyoncé’s performance at Coachella as “inspiring” adding that she gave her “much HBCU [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] pride” in a post to X. In 2019, Harris said that her concert film Homecoming “exemplifies and rightly celebrates the spirit and legacy of our HBCU’s.”
Knowles, meanwhile, has historically supported Democratic candidates. She backed President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race, sharing a video of herself with a “I voted” sticker while wearing a Biden-Harris face mask.
She also backed former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, saying that she wants her daughter “to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless.”
Her mother, Tina Knowles, has also endorsed Harris.
“New, Youthful, Sharp , , energy !!!! You asked for it and our President Biden did what was best for the country ! Putting personal Ego , power and fame aside . That is the definition of a great leader, . Thank you, President Biden for your service and your leadership . Go Vice President Kamala Harris for President,” she wrote in an Instagram post in July.
Polls still showed a tight race on Thursday, as Harris and Trump work to energize their voter base to show up to the polls. FiveThirtyEight’s polling aggregate showed Harris with a modest 1.7 point lead nationally, down from 2.4 points one month earlier.
Trump is viewed as the favorite in Texas, despite Democratic hopes the Lone Star State would be more competitive this year. Trump held a 6.7-point lead in FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate on Thursday. He won the state by 5.6 points in 2020 against Biden.
