U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has leveraged some of the music industry’s star power to rally voters in the final weeks before November’s presidential election.
On Saturday, prominent musicians headlined two events for Democratic candidates.
At the first stop, Detroit, Michigan, singer and rapper Lizzo warmed up the crowd with her passionate stage support.
“I already voted early and I voted for Harris,” the Detroit-born musician told the cheering crowd.
Michigan is one of seven major battleground states in the presidential primary. It could lean toward former President Donald Trump, his Democratic or Republican rival.
Later that day, Harris is scheduled to visit southern Georgia, another important battleground.
There, she lined up another hometown hero, Usher, a musician who began his music career in the state’s capital, Atlanta.
Early voting records
Saturday’s visit coincided with the first day of in-person early voting in Detroit.
Absentee voting by mail has already begun in the state. More than 1 million mail-in ballots had been received as of Saturday morning, according to Michigan’s online “voting dashboard.”
It was one of several strong protests across the country, indicating a possible surge in voter enthusiasm. States like North Carolina and Georgia broke records for early voting this week, according to officials.
Gabriel Sterling, Georgia Secretary of State’s Chief Operating Officer Posted Voter turnout continues to be high on social media. Georgia’s first day of early voting was Tuesday.
“Congratulations to the counties and especially our great Georgia voters. You all have broken another record. “Highest voter turnout in the history of a general election on Saturday,” Sterling wrote.
Although experts caution against extrapolating too much from the numbers, political analysts note that Democrats have traditionally had a boost due to large early voter turnouts.
Harris has been trying to build on this year’s momentum during a weekend campaign hiatus.
“Georgia started early voting and broke historic records. North Carolina begins early voting, breaking a historic record for the state. Now, who is responsible for producing the album?” She made a winking reference to supporters in Detroit about the city’s music industry.
“So we’re trying to break some records here in Detroit today.”
Covering the war in Gaza
During her visit to Michigan, Harris also took the opportunity to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has led a year-long military campaign that has killed more than 42,500 Palestinians.
U.S. support for Israel and its war has weakened support for the Democratic Party among Arab and Muslim Americans in Michigan.
The state has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States and is also home to a nationwide protest movement against President Joe Biden’s administration over its stance on the war.
Harris, who faced the same criticism, expressed hope that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could lead to an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
“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.
She added that Middle East policy has long been a difficult issue for the United States.
“It’s never been easy,” Harris said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.”
fierce trump
At a campaign rally in Detroit, Harris addressed supporters in front of a “Vote Detroit Early” sign. And she and other speakers used their platform to push back against Republican criticism of the city.
Earlier this month, Trump cast Detroit in an unflattering light, telling the Detroit Economic Club that another Democratic president would turn the entire country into a “motor city.”
President Trump said of Harris, “Our whole country is going to end up like Detroit,” and “Detroit is a mess.”
By contrast, Harris took the stage Saturday wearing a T-shirt that read “Detroit vs. Everybody,” a slogan that has adorned her clothing line and rap songs.
Rizzo, on the other hand, was more blunt in her response to Trump’s remarks. “I’m so proud to be from this city,” she told the crowd. “They say if Kamala wins, the whole country will be like Detroit. Proud like Detroit. “It’s as resilient as Detroit.”
“Please respect Detroit’s name,” she added.
celebrity support
In general, analysts say Democrats have been more successful this election cycle at rallying star power to their cause.
Not only has Harris received support from the likes of Lizzo and Usher, but celebrities like Taylor Swift, Oprah and George Clooney have also expressed support for her since she became a presidential candidate in July.
But it’s unclear whether celebrity endorsements actually make a difference to campaigns. A recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that more than 76% of voters said Swift’s endorsement would not affect their ballot.
The same goes for Republicans. Two-thirds of those surveyed said entrepreneur Elon Musk’s recent endorsement of Trump would not affect their vote.
But Democrats are nonetheless hoping for a flash of star power.
For example, this week former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, begin campaigning with just two weeks left until the election.
This is Michelle’s first time completing a rally circuit. Meanwhile, Barack made his first campaign appearance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.
Harris and Trump are trying to get ahead in the crucial final weeks of the campaign. Poll averages show the two are basically tied heading into the vote.
