Beyoncé took the stage to rally support for Kamala Harris on Friday night at a massive rally in Texas as the race for the White House is a dead heat.
‘We are so happy to be standing here on this stage as proud country Texas women supporting and celebrating the one and only Vice President Kamala Harris,’ she said.
The megastar praised Harris and said she is pushing unity while praising the energy and ‘positivity’ in the room.
‘We are are at the precipice of an incredible shift, brink of history,’ Beyoncé said.
Beyoncé said she was not there as a celebrity but as a mother ‘who cares deeply about the world my children and all our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies.’
‘Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,’ she said.
She also told the roaring crowd to imagine the sacrifices their grandmothers have made ‘so we can witness the strength of a woman standing in her power, reimagining what leadership is.’
Beyoncé addressed everyone stating ‘your vote is one of the most valuable tools, and we need you.’
She said Texas has a role to play and needs to be part of something bigger.
‘It’s time for America to sing a new song,’ she said.
Beyoncé was not the only celebrity to take the stage in Texas. Actress and business woman Jessica Alba also spoke and music legend Willie Nelson performed.
She was also joined on stage by fellow former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland who spoke first.
‘We are grabbing back the pen,’ Rowland said. She revealed she voted for Harris and running mate Tim Walz this week.
‘Houston, you already had a hand in creating destiny,’ Rowland said.
The much-coveted Beyoncé endorsement comes months after Democrats were devastated by her no-show at the Democratic National Convention over the summer.
Harris uses Beyoncé’s ‘Freedom’ as her walk-up song at campaign rallies.
In August, rumors swirled that the Queen B herself would be making an appearance at the convention in Chicago ahead of Harris accepting the nomination.
Her team and the campaign did not dismiss the rumors sparking widespread excitement.
But it did not happen leaving thousands of party members and millions of viewers watching on TV disappointed.
On Friday, thousands of people lined up for hours to get into the Harris rally with Beyoncé and fellow icon Nelson at the Shell Energy Stadium.
Nelson performed ‘On the Road Again’ and ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys.’
A campaign official said there were about 30,000 people in attendance, making it the largest Harris campaign event to date.
Attendees brought their own chairs to rest in while they waited and carried umbrellas to protect them from the Texas sun.
Inside the stadium a dance party was underway with thousands of people joining in as a DJ blasted music and people busted a move while they waited.
The rally with Beyoncé and Nelson comes as the final NYTimes/Siena poll on Friday showed the race with Trump tied with 48 percent each. A CNN poll also showed the race tied with both Harris and Trump at 47 percent.
While Texas is not considered a battleground state in the presidential race, Harris headed there to hold a rally on reproductive rights.
Abortion access remains a top issue in the 2024 election and has been a mobilizing one for Democrats since Roe v Wade was overturned.
Texas has a total abortion ban with limited exceptions. It does not have exceptions for rape or incest.
Harris has blamed Trump, who nominated three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe, for the abortion bans enacted across the country since Roe fell.
She blasted Trump for the Texas ban at her rally, calling the situation there and in states across the country a health care crisis and named the ex-president the ‘architect of it.’
‘In America we know, freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right, and we are prepared to fight for it,’ Harris said.
She slammed Texas for suing the U.S. government to get its hands on women’s medical records who leave the state for care.
‘Now I’d ask everybody here, please do see the irony, okay, listen to this: on the one hand, Donald Trump won’t 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 are out of their minds,’ Harris said.
She claimed in four years Trump ‘was able to erase half a century of hard-fought progress for women, and now, he wants to go even further.’
‘Let us be clear: If Donald Trump wins again, he will ban abortion nationwide,’ she said.
The vice president warned if elected, Trump could have the opportunity to nominate more Supreme Court justices.
She said ‘reproductive freedom is on the ballot in this presidential election’ and pointed to a series of referendums on ballots in states.
The vice president argued with their work ‘freedom will win.’
Trump has argued on the campaign trail that he will leave the issue to states, but he previously signaled he was open to a federal ban and has touted his role in the overturning of Roe.
Throughout the night, the rally featured people who have dealt first hand with state abortion bans.
They include the Texas couple who filed a lawsuit against the Texas ban, a Texas woman who miscarried but could not get medical care in the state and suffered a live-threatening septic inflection, and doctors who have had their hands tied with treating women.
Throughout the venue were signs urging people to vote but also ones that read ‘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 gave remarks at the event as the thunderous crowd chanted ‘beat Ted Cruz.’
‘Ted Cruz is too small for Texas,’ Allred said.
He also blasted Trump for introducing abortion bans at the national level and vowed to help restore Roe in the Senate.
This was the first 2024 political event for Beyoncé, but her music is a regular fixture at Harris rallies with ‘Freedom’ as the walk-up song. It was featured in the vice president’s first campaign video over the summer with the singer’s permission.
The ‘Texas Hold Em’ singer has waded into politics in previous election seasons as well with endorsements and rallies.
In 2016, the global sensation and husband Jay-Z rallied support for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio just days before the election.
In 2020, Beyoncé posted on social media wearing a Biden-Harris mask while encouraging her followers to vote.
Harris has been bringing out some of the biggest entertainers and politicians as the race is tight in the final stretch.
Former President Obama had his first joint appearance 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 joint appearance and Obama’s first campaign rally for 2024.