Beyoncé addresses one of Texas’ most important issues at the Kamala Harris Rally

Vice President Kamala Harris was joined by Beyoncé on Friday at a rally in Houston, where the megastar urged Americans to support the Democratic presidential candidate to protect “the freedom to control our bodies.”

According to the Harris campaign, the event at Shell Energy Stadium attracted approximately 30,000 supporters, making it the largest rally Harris has organized in the election cycle so far.

Democrats have campaigned heavily on the issue of abortion access since the election Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The issue played a major role in that year’s midterm elections, when a widely expected “red wave” largely failed to get off the ground.

Beyoncé spoke at Friday’s meeting said: “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother – a mother who cares deeply about the world in which my children and all our children live, a world in which we have the freedom to shape our bodies control, a world in which we are not divided. Our past, our present and our future come together to meet us here.”

Beyoncé further argued that a Harris presidency, the first by a woman in U.S. history, would boost women and girls across the country.

“Imagine our daughters growing up and seeing what is possible with no ceilings and no limitations. Imagine our grandmothers. Imagine what they feel now – those who lived through this historic day,” the superstar said. “Even those who are no longer physically with us, imagine all their sacrifices: the sacrifices made so that we can witness the strength of a woman in her power.”

Harris also focused on reproductive rights in her speech: “For anyone watching from out of state, if you think you are protected from Trump’s abortion ban because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California or whatever state wherever voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: no one is protected.

“Because one Donald Trump A national ban will ban abortion in every state.”

Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump said yes vetoing a federal abortion banwriting on Truth Social: “Everyone KNOWS that I would never support a federal abortion ban under any circumstances, and in fact would veto it, because it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters.”

Newsweek reached out to representatives of the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email outside regular business hours on Saturday.

Emerson College, which surveyed 815 likely voters in Texas between Oct. 18 and 21, found that access to abortion was the top issue for 11 percent of voters in the state. This put the issue behind immigration and the economy, which were the most important issues for 32 percent and 26 percent of voters, respectively. However, abortion access ranked above “threats to democracy” and health care, top issues for 8 percent and 5 percent of voters, respectively.

A poll of 1,091 likely voters conducted between October 2 and 10 by the University of Texas at Texas Politics Project in Austin found that “abortion or women’s rights” was the most important issue for 7 percent of Texas voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Democracy was also the top issue for 7 percent of voters, while 18 percent of voters said it was the economy and 16 percent said it was immigration or border security.

The survey also found that Harris had a large lead in Texas on abortion, with 54 percent of voters thinking she would do better on abortion access, compared to 28 percent for Trump. Another 11 percent said neither candidate would do a good job on abortion, while 7 percent said they didn’t know or had no opinion.