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BeyHive meets KHive: Beyoncé set to perform at Houston rally for Harris
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A key part of the soundtrack of Vice President Harris' race for the Oval Office has been Beyoncé's anthem "Freedom."
But on Friday, Queen Bey herself is set to make an appearance on the campaign trail, performing at a Harris rally in Houston, according to a source familiar with the plan, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement.
Trump is also set to be in Texas on Friday — in Austin, taping an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.
Harris is veering off the swing-state circuit for the event in Houston. While Texas is a solid red state in the presidential race, Harris's campaign wants to highlight the state's abortion restrictions in the closing week of the campaign.
Texas is an unusual stop, but Harris wants to highlight abortion rights
Harris has sought to blame her Republican opponent for the abortion bans — made possible by the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — because former President Donald Trump named a trio of conservative justices to the court.
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During her campaign, she’s highlighted Texans including Kate Cox who have shared stories in ads and speeches about their lives being put at risk because they were denied access to reproductive care.
A new ad from the Harris campaign out this week features another woman, Ondrea, who nearly died from sepsis after being denied access to care from a miscarriage. Ondrea shows the scar from her surgery which goes all the way down her chest; she may not be able to have children. Off camera in the ad, Trump talks about how he sees himself as a “protector” of women.
Trump keeps the focus on immigration
As the Harris campaign focuses on Trump’s record on abortion, the former president has continued to zero in on immigration. In the first of two campaign stops Thursday, Trump spoke to rally goers in Tempe, Arizona, where he repeated his pledge to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.
“We’re like a garbage can for the world,” Trump said, as he blamed Harris for undocumented migrants coming into the country.
“Kamala’s migrant invasion, given to us through gross incompetence, disqualifies her from even thinking about being president,” Trump said.
Trump was set to hold a second rally later Thursday in Las Vegas.
There’s a tight Senate race in Texas, too
In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred has made the abortion restrictions a centerpiece of his bid to unseat GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.
Allred has hammered Cruz on the issue. Harris’ visit to Texas in the final weeks of the election shows that Democrats feel somewhat optimistic about flipping the seat, despite the fact that a Democrat hasn’t represented the state in the Senate in 30 years.
A bump in turnout from a Beyoncé performance could potentially be effective, according to Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of politics at the University of Houston.
“The turnout for Democrats across the big urban areas where they need big turnout has been a little bit flat since 2020,” Rottinghaus said. “The Democrats need to have every piece of their voter base come out to vote if Allred has a chance to win.”
Harris walked out to Beyoncé's "Freedom" for her very first campaign appearance
Beyoncé gave Harris permission to use her song “Freedom” as her walkout song months ago, but her appearance in Houston — her hometown — is the first time she’s appearing in person with Harris on the trail.
She has backed Democratic candidates in the past, including 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Both Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z rallied with Clinton in Ohio in the final weeks of her campaign.
Other artists who have recently campaigned with Harris include Lizzo, Stevie Wonder, Megan Thee Stallion and Usher. Bruce Springsteen appeared with Harris on Thursday in Atlanta, and will also campaign in Philadelphia with former President Barack Obama on Monday.
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