Kamala Harris campaign turns celebrity endorsements in Detroit and Atlanta | 2024 US Election News
United States Vice President Kamala Harris has tapped music industry veterans to rally voters in the final weeks before November’s presidential election.
On Saturday, two events for the Democratic Alliance nominees were hosted by prominent musicians.
At her first stop, Detroit, Michigan, singer and rapper Lizzo warmed up the crowd with a show of love on stage.
“I already voted early and I voted for Harris,” the singer, who is originally from Detroit, told the cheering crowd.
Michigan is one of seven key states in the presidential race, which could swing to either a Democrat or his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.
Later that day, Harris visited another important battleground: the southern state of Georgia.
There, he also listed another local hero, singer Usher, who started his music career in Atlanta, the capital of the state. Usher sang a few bars with the crowd before starting his speech.
“It’s very nice to be at home. I am here, at home, on my Past Present Future Tour but I took a quick break to come here, I will share a few words with you about the importance of this time,” he said.
“I feel that this is an important opportunity for all of us. There are 17 days left until a very important election, as we all know, and we have the opportunity to choose a new leadership for our country.”
Record early voting
Harris’ visit to Michigan on Saturday coincided with the first day of early voting in Detroit.
Absentee postal voting has started in the state. Michigan’s online “voting dashboard” showed that, as of Saturday morning, more than a million mail-in ballots had been received.
It was one of many strong showings across the country, indicating a possible increase in voter enthusiasm. States like North Carolina and Georgia have yet to receive early voting records this week, according to officials.
Georgia Secretary of State’s Chief of Staff, Gabriel Sterling, posted on social media the number of people continues to be high. Georgia’s first day of early voting was Tuesday.
“Congratulations to the districts and especially to our great voters in Georgia. He broke another RECORD. The largest turnout ever for a General Election on Saturday,” Sterling wrote.
While experts caution against taking too much out of the numbers, political analysts note that Democrats have traditionally seen a surge in early arrivals.
Harris was looking to build on this year’s momentum during his weekend campaign stop.
“Georgia started early voting, breaking historical records. North Carolina started voting early, breaking historical records in North Carolina. Now, who is the capital of record production?” he told Detroit fans, referring to the city’s music industry.
“So we’re going to break some records here in Detroit today.”
Talking about the war in Gaza
During his visit to Michigan, Harris also had the opportunity to repeat his call for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has led a year-long military campaign that has killed more than 42,500 Palestinians.
US support for Israel and its war has eroded support for Democrats among Arab and Muslim Americans in Michigan.
The state is the proudest of Arab Americans in the country, and is home to a national protest movement against the administration of President Joe Biden over its stance on the war.
Harris, who has also received such criticism, expressed hope that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza could lead to fighting.
“This creates an opportunity that I believe we must take full advantage of – to commit to ending this war and bringing the hostages home,” Harris told reporters in Detroit.
He added that Middle East policy has long been a difficult issue for the US.
“It’s never been easy,” Harris said. “But that doesn’t mean we stop.”
Razzing Trump
At his Detroit campaign, Harris spoke to supporters in front of “Detroit Votes Early” signs – and he and other speakers used their platform to hit back at Republican criticism of the city.
At the beginning of the month, Trump threw Detroit in an unpopular way, telling the Detroit Economic Club that another Democratic president will give the whole country as “Motor City”.
“Our whole country is going to end up like Detroit if he’s your president,” Trump said of Harris, calling Detroit “a mess”.
Harris, by contrast, took the stage Saturday wearing a T-shirt that read “Detroit vs Everybody”, a slogan that has adorned clothing lines and rap songs.
Lizzo, meanwhile, addressed Trump’s comments bluntly. “I’m proud to be from this city,” he told the crowd. “You know, they say that if Kamala wins, the whole country will be like Detroit. Proud as Detroit. It’s as tough as Detroit. “
“Put some respect in the name of Detroit,” he added.
Celebrity endorsement
Analysts generally say that the Democratic Party has been very successful in bringing together the stars in its efforts in this election cycle.
Not only has Harris enjoyed praise from the likes of Lizzo and Usher, but celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Oprah and George Clooney have also announced their support since he ran for president in July.
However, it is unclear whether celebrity endorsements make a difference in the campaign. More than 76 percent of voters recently polled by Quinnipiac University said Swift’s endorsement would not affect their vote.
The same goes for Republicans. Two-thirds of those polled said businessman Elon Musk’s recent support for Trump would not affect their vote.
But Democrats are nevertheless banking on the glow of its star power.
This coming week, for example, former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama are entering the campaign, with only two weeks left before the election.
It will be Michelle’s first time on the rally circuit. Barack, meanwhile, made his first campaign appearance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.
Both Harris and Trump are trying to move forward in the last crucial weeks of the campaign. Polls show the two tied ahead of the November vote.
