Beyoncé is set to make her first appearance alongside Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail, joining her at a rally in Houston this Friday, CNN reports.
This collaboration brings significant star power to Harris’ campaign as she gears up for the final push before Election Day. Harris has adopted Beyoncé’s 2016 anthem “Freedom” as a key campaign theme, underscoring the central message of her bid for the presidency.
The vice president’s team has reportedly been working behind the scenes to secure the joint appearance, and Beyoncé’s presence is expected to draw even more attention to the rally, amplifying Harris’ closing message on freedom.
The Houston event will focus on women affected by Texas’ restrictive abortion laws, which came into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Harris has made reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign, frequently spotlighting states with harsh abortion regulations, including Georgia and Texas, as battlegrounds in the fight for personal freedoms. Her message extends beyond reproductive rights, as she has framed former President Donald Trump as a threat to broader American liberties, including LGBTQ rights and gun safety.
Beyoncé’s involvement isn’t surprising given her history of aligning with Democratic politicians. Early in Harris’ campaign, the Grammy-winning artist granted her permission to use “Freedom,” a track from her critically acclaimed album Lemonade, in her debut campaign ad. Since then, the song has served as Harris’ walk-out anthem at rallies across the country, solidifying the bond between the vice president’s message and the artist’s powerful call for liberation.
This isn’t Beyoncé’s first foray into political activism. In 2009, she performed at President Barack Obama’s inaugural ball, where she serenaded the former president and First Lady Michelle Obama. She also sang the national anthem at Obama’s second inauguration in 2013, and in 2016, she and Jay-Z headlined a pre-election concert for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, urging voters to support the Democratic nominee.
The rally in Houston, hosted by the Democratic Party of Harris County, is expected to run from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., though the exact location has yet to be announced. Texas music legend Willie Nelson and businesswoman Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, are also slated to appear at the event, adding more Texas-centric star power to the occasion.
Harris’ visit to Houston is a significant one, marking a rare campaign stop in Texas at this stage of the election, even though the state is not considered a swing state. In July, she made two visits to Houston shortly after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election, solidifying her presence in the Lone Star State.
With Beyoncé by her side, Harris hopes to rally voters around the message of protecting freedom as the election approaches.
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