Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to host a rally in Houston on Friday.
Beyoncé, a Houston native and musical superstar, is expected to appear at the rally, the Associated Press reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. During her campaign, the Democratic presidential nominee has used Beyoncé’s “Freedom” as an entrance song at rallies. She also used it in her debut campaign ad.
Reproductive rights, a crucial issue for voters in Texas, are also set to take center stage at the rally.
What Time Is Kamala Harris’ Houston Rally?
The rally is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, at a campaign rally in Atlanta on October 19 and Beyoncé accepting the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles on April 1. The musical superstar is expected to appear at Harris’ Houston rally on Friday.
Kevin Winter and Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images/iHeartRadio
Where Is Harris’ Houston Rally Being Held?
The rally is being held at Shell Energy Stadium, east of downtown Houston.
How to Watch Harris’ Houston Rally?
The rally is set to air on YouTube via a PBS livestream.
Who Else Will Appear at the Rally?
According to the Harris campaign, the vice president will be joined by women who have been affected by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The campaign said Harris “will be joined by women who have faced the direct impacts of these extreme laws.”
The campaign also confirmed that Democratic Representative Colin Allred, a Senate candidate in Texas, would also attend. Allred is challenging Republican Senator Ted Cruz in one of the most closely contested Senate races across the country.
The BBC reported that country music legend Willie Nelson and Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, would also be in attendance.
Why Does the Rally Matter?
Speaking on the latest episode of Pod Save America, Allred discussed why Harris was going to Texas—a safe Republican state—to campaign, which is seen as an unconventional move so close to Election Day.
He said, “What’s happening in Texas, with this abortion ban, is nothing short of a tragedy.”
“They’re these Texas women who come forward and use … one of the most difficult moments in their life. They’ve taken that grief and that anger that they felt about it, and they’ve turned it into action. They’re inspiring. They inspire me every single day,” he continued.
Recent Newsweek polling found that abortion was the second-most-important issue for voters heading into the presidential election, which is 10 days away.
Harris and her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, are locked in a dead heat race to win the White House. The vice president narrowly leads Trump in the polls.
The Houston rally gives Harris a chance to share her message with more voters, and the reported inclusion of Beyoncé could draw even more attention to Harris in her campaign’s final sprint.
Beyoncé is one of the most influential musicians in the world. She has an Instagram following of 314 million and more than 54 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Beyoncé has a long history of endorsing Democratic presidential candidates. In 2016, she performed with her husband, Jay-Z, at a rally for Hillary Clinton.
Last year, Harris, a longtime Beyoncé fan, attended her Renaissance World Tour in Maryland with her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. The tickets were reportedly a gift from the superstar, and the vice president wrote on Instagram, “Thanks for a fun date night, @Beyonce!”
What Are the Issues to Look Out For?
An email shared with Newsweek by the Harris campaign said the vice president would “give remarks on the serious consequences of Trump’s abortion bans to women’s lives.”
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