Beyonce's Harris rally tests superstar's political reach
Harris' lead over Trump has narrowed, polls show
Beyonce's influence may boost Harris among women and younger voters
Mixed reactions from Houston residents on Beyonce's political involvement
Adds details on Beyonce appearance and performance, in paragraphs 1-5
By Trevor Hunnicutt, Stephanie Kelly and Georgina McCartney
HOUSTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) -Superstar singer Beyonce took the stage at a rally for Kamala Harris in Houston on Friday night, not to sing but to offer her first public political appearance this election cycle at a crucial moment for the Democratic presidential candidate.
Beyonce, a Houston native, walked on stage to roaring applause from the crowd of some 30,000 attending Vice President Harris' abortion rights-themed rally, alongside fellow former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland.
Instead of singing, she addressed the crowd for several minutes.
"I'm not here as a celebrity. I'm not here as a politician. I'm here as a mother," Beyonce said. "Your freedom is your God-given right, your human right."
She then introduced Harris, who walked onstage to what has become her campaign anthem: the song "Freedom" from Beyonce's 2016 album "Lemonade." Beyonce gave the vice president a long embrace before exiting.
Harris' summertime lead over Republican opponent Donald Trump in the race for the Nov. 5 election has all but evaporated, national opinion polls show, and she is within the margin of error in the battleground states that will likely decide the election, her campaign says.
But she has picked up a considerable advantage over Trump with women, who most polls and surveys show make up much of Beyonce's audience. Harris led Trump by 49% to 36%, or 13 percentage points, among women voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published late in August.
"Beyonce is one of the entertainment industry’s most powerful women at a historic time when (politically and positionally) the most powerful woman in the U.S. is running for U.S. President," said Melvin L. Williams, a communications professor at Pace University.
Williams said he was uncertain that Beyonce would reach voters who have questions about Harris. "We must acknowledge that celebrities are great political advertisers, but they are not guarantors of political victory for candidates," he added.
The rally in Beyonce's hometown caps a string of political appearances and politically charged artistic works. In 2008, Beyonce's husband Jay-Z held a rally for Barack Obama, while Beyonce sang the national anthem and the Etta James classic "At Last" at Obama's 2009 inauguration.
She performed a rally for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 and endorsed Joe Biden and Harris in 2020 on Instagram.
Beyonce, whose Instagram account has 314 million followers, offers Harris access to a segment of the U.S. population, especially Black and younger voters, that is deemed crucial in a closely contested race against Trump.
Hollywood celebrities, including actors Julia Roberts and Jane Fonda, are campaigning for Harris, as are musicians Bruce Springsteen, Usher and Lizzo. Trump has won the endorsement of Ultimate Fighting stars, wrestler Hulk Hogan and musicians Ted Nugent and Kid Rock.
Young female residents of Houston were mixed on the politically charged performance of the city's biggest star.
"Beyonce is a national icon because at the end of the day, we all are people with our own views and values. Beyonce is brave enough to stand by her values in the face of people judging her for it," said Nadira Smith, 27.
But Sydney Mukavetz, 25, originally from Michigan, who has been living in Houston for a year, said she thought celebrities at political rallies was a "little weird."
"It feels like an endorsement and a performance are very different," Mukavetz said.
FACTBOX-What we know about Beyonce's appearance at Kamala Harris' Houston rally nL6N3M10JV
Hollywood stars hit the road to push vote for Harris nL1N3LJ10L
Abortion in focus as Harris, Beyonce and Trump campaign in Texas nL1N3M01KM
Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Georgina McCartney in Houston, Stephanie Kelly in New York and Gabriella Borter in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons, Matthew Lewis and William Mallard
免责声明: XM Group仅提供在线交易平台的执行服务和访问权限，并允许个人查看和/或使用网站或网站所提供的内容，但无意进行任何更改或扩展，也不会更改或扩展其服务和访问权限。所有访问和使用权限，将受下列条款与条例约束：(i) 条款与条例；(ii) 风险提示；以及(iii) 完整免责声明。请注意，网站所提供的所有讯息，仅限一般资讯用途。此外，XM所有在线交易平台的内容并不构成，也不能被用于任何未经授权的金融市场交易邀约和/或邀请。金融市场交易对于您的投资资本含有重大风险。
所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。
本网站上由XM和第三方供应商所提供的所有内容，包括意见、新闻、研究、分析、价格、其他资讯和第三方网站链接，皆保持不变，并作为一般市场评论所提供，而非投资性建议。所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为适用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。请确保您已阅读并完全理解，XM非独立投资研究提示和风险提示相关资讯，更多详情请点击 这里。
