It was a powerful night in an election campaign that has been fraught with upheaval, violence and division.
Texas, after all, is what Harris describes as “ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom”. In September 2021, it became the first state in the US to ban abortion after six weeks and allowed anyone to sue abortion patients and those who assisted them. Many other Republican states soon followed with similar restrictions.
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The conservative justices of the US Supreme Court – three of whom were appointed by Trump – upheld the Texas law, and then curtailed women’s reproductive rights further by overturning the landmark Roe v Wade ruling.
“In America, freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed,” Harris told the crowd. “It is ours by right – that includes the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have the government telling her what to do.”
Surrounded by giant screens filled with slogans such as “Trust Women”, Harris highlighted the case of Texas couple Amanda and Josh Zurawski, who led a lawsuit against the state’s bans after Amanda suffered life-threatening complications during her pregnancy but couldn’t have an abortion.
Also in the audience was Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman died in 2022 from a treatable infection due to delays in her medical care stemming from abortion restrictions in her home state of Georgia.
“We are 11 days out from an election that will decide the future of America,” Harris said. “We must be loud, we must organise, we must mobilise, we must energise the people.”
Trump also spent part of his day in Texas, recording a three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, whose audience is largely made up of the young male voters Trump’s campaign has been targeting.
The former president then headed to Michigan – albeit three hours late – for another rally, where he mocked Harris as being “at a dance party with Beyonce”. He also told a meandering story about how his advisers had cautioned him over the way he speaks about women.
“They said, ‘Sir, please don’t say you’re going to protect women.’ Why? ‘Because it doesn’t sound really well.’ I said, ‘I think it sounds fine.’ We want to protect. I mean, that’s our job. We have to protect. So I think I should override my experts,” he said.
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Earlier that day, reports emerged that Chinese cybercriminals may have attempted to tap into the phones or networks used by Trump, his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance and members of the Harris campaign. Trump’s campaign initially blamed Democrats, albeit with no evidence.
Back in Houston, Beyonce’s appearance was the latest star-studded cameo designed to motivate the Democratic base.
The night before, Harris was joined by former president Barack Obama in the swing state of Georgia, alongside rocker Bruce Springsteen, actor Samuel L. Jackson, director Spike Lee and US actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry.
Texan country legend Willie Nelson also performed at Friday night’s rally, and on Saturday, US time, the vice president heads to Michigan – where she faces an ongoing backlash over the war in Gaza – to campaign with arguably the party’s most popular figure: Michelle Obama.
Dallas residents Sharon Stone and Brian Peterman are optimistic.Credit: Farrah Tomazin
That backlash was evident when Harris’ remarks were briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters inside the stadium. Outside, a group of demonstrators with Palestinian flags chanted: “Kamala, Kamala you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”
For the most part though, Harris received what locals call “a warm Texas welcome”.
“I’m very excited about the election,” Houston resident Jazelle Royale says. “I think we’re going to make history by the hair of our chinny-chin-chin. It will be close – but women and young new voters will get her over the line.”
Sharon and Brian are equally optimistic.
“Not only do we feel positive about her, we feel really negative about the other guy,” Sharon from Dallas says. “I don’t even want to mention his name. He is outrageous. We feel like we’re in a reality TV show sometimes because his behaviour is just beyond – and then some. We’re sick of it and we’re ready to turn the page.”
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