Beyoncé took the stage on Friday evening to rally support for Kamala Harris at a massive rally in Texas, as the race for the White House is a dead end.
“We are so happy to stand here on this stage as proud women from rural Texas supporting and celebrating the one and only Vice President Kamala Harris,” she said.
She said they are on the cusp of an incredible shift and edge of history.
Beyoncé said she wasn’t there as a celebrity, but as a mother who cares deeply about the world her children and all children live in.
“Imagine our daughters growing up and seeing what is possible with no ceilings and no limitations,” she said.
She said they are part of something bigger and they should vote.
“It’s time to sing a new song,” she said.
Beyoncé waves to the crowd as she takes the stage at Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston
Beyoncé wasn’t the only celebrity to take the stage in Texas. Actress and businesswoman Jessica Alba also spoke and music legend Willie Nelson performed.
She was also joined on stage by former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, who spoke first.
“We’re taking the pen back,” Rowland said. She revealed this week that she voted for Harris and running mate Tim Walz.
“Houston, you already had a hand in creating destiny,” Rowland said.
Beyoncé was joined on stage by former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland at the Kamala Harris rally
Beyoncé’s coveted endorsement comes months after Democrats were devastated by her no-show at the Democratic National Convention last summer.
Harris uses Beyoncé’s “Freedom” as her walk-up song at campaign rallies.
In August, rumors circulated that Queen B herself would appear at the convention in Chicago before Harris accepted the nomination.
Her team and the campaign did not deny the rumors that sparked widespread excitement.
But it didn’t happen, disappointing thousands of party members and millions of TV viewers.
Jessica Alba walked out to speak at the Kamala Harris rally in Houston, where she said “freedoms and democracy are at stake” and urged people to vote
91-year-old music legend Willie Nelson performs at the Kamala Harris rally in Houston. Before starting, Nelson asked, “Are we ready to say Madam President?”
Harris supporters held fans and umbrellas as they waited in the sun to attend the vice president’s rally in Houston on Oct. 25
On Friday, thousands of people lined up for hours to attend the Harris rally with Beyoncé and fellow icon Nelson at Shell Energy Stadium.
Nelson sang “On the Road Again” and “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys.”
A campaign official said about 30,000 people attended, making it the largest Harris campaign event to date.
Attendees brought their own chairs to rest while they waited and carried umbrellas to protect them from the Texas sun.
There was a dance party going on inside the stadium with thousands of people joining in as a DJ played music and people made moves while they waited.
The rally featuring Beyoncé and Nelson comes as the latest NYTimes/Siena poll on Friday showed the race tied with Trump at 48 percent each. A CNN poll also found the race tied with both Harris and Trump at 47 percent.
Lines to attend the Kamala Harris rally in Houston snaked through the parking lot as people decked out in Harris-Walz gear waited for hours to get in
Supporters waiting at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston sign that
A Harris supporter holds up a fan as she waits for the vice president’s rally in Houston
A supporter holding a “This is Harris Country” sign outside the vice president’s rally in Houston
Although Texas is not considered a battleground in the presidential race, Harris went there to hold a rally on reproductive rights.
Abortion rights remain a top issue in the 2024 elections and have been a mobilizing issue for Democrats since Roe v Wade was overturned.
Texas has a total abortion ban with limited exceptions. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
Harris has blamed Trump, who nominated three Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe, for the abortion bans passed across the country since Roe fell.
She blasted Trump at her rally for the Texas ban, calling the situation there and in states across the country a health care crisis and calling the ex-president its “architect.”
Vice President Harris will speak at her rally in Texas on Friday evening
Harris blasted Texas for suing the U.S. government to obtain the medical records of women who leave the state for care.
“Now I would ask everyone here: please see the irony, OK, listen to this: On the one hand, Donald Trump will not let anyone see his medical records,” she said.
‘And on the other hand, they want to get their hands on your medical records. Simply put, they’ve lost their minds,” Harris said.
She denounced Trump, saying he was within four years He has been able to erase half a century of hard-won progress for women, and now he wants to go even further.”
“Let’s be clear: If Donald Trump wins again, he will ban abortion nationwide,” she said.
‘In America, freedom should not be given. It may not be donated. It’s ours. That’s right, and that includes a woman’s fundamental freedom to make decisions about her own body without the government telling her what to do,” Harris said.
She said that “reproductive freedom is on the ballot in this presidential election.”
The vice president argued with their work: freedom will win.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the press at a hotel in Houston ahead of her meeting Friday
Trump has argued during his campaign that he will leave the issue to the states, but he has previously indicated he is open to a federal ban and has touted his role in overturning Roe.
Harris will be joined at the meeting by people who have experienced firsthand state abortion bans.
They include the Texas couple who filed a lawsuit against the Texas ban, a Texas woman who suffered a miscarriage but was unable to get medical care in the state and developed a life-threatening septic inflection, and doctors who had their hands tied when treating women.
There were signs throughout the room encouraging people to vote, as well as signs saying ‘trust women’ and ‘fight for reproductive freedom’.
Texas also has a close Senate race, with Democratic Congressman Colin Allred challenging Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
Allred also provided comments during the event such as the thundering crowd chanted “beat Ted Cruz.”
“Ted Cruz is too small for Texas,” Allred said.
He also blasted Trump for introducing abortion bans nationally and vowed to help restore Roe in the Senate.
Texas Democratic Senate candidate Collin Allred waves to the crowd at Harris’ rally in Houston
A giant sign at the Kamala Harris rally read ‘vote for reproductive freedom’
This is Beyoncé’s first political event of 2024, but her music has been a fixture at Harris rallies with “Freedom” as a walk-up song and was featured, with the singer’s permission, in the vice president’s first campaign video this summer.
This is also not the first time that the ‘Texas Hold Em’ singer has ventured into politics.
The global sensation has previously supported the Democrats in the presidential race.
In 2016, she and husband Jay-Z rally support for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, just days before the election.
In 2020, Beyoncé posted on social media wearing a Biden-Harris mask as she encouraged her followers to vote.
Harris has brought out some of the biggest entertainers and politicians, with the race tight in the final stretch.
Former President Obama had his first joint performance with Harris in Georgia on Thursday, where Bruce Springsteen also performed. Tyler Perry, Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee were in attendance.
Last week she had a rally with superstar Usher. On Saturday, the vice president will be joined by former First Lady Michelle Obama. It will be their first appearance together and Obama’s first campaign rally for 2024.