In an unexpected move, Vice President Kamala Harris held a star-studded campaign rally on October 25, 2024, in Texas, a reliably red state. After a high-energy introduction from Houston natives Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé, the VP walked center stage as Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” blared over the loudspeakers. The rally was the VP’s largest to date. 30,000 people gathered at the Shell Stadium in Houston, despite 90-degree weather, to hear Harris’ continued focus on women’s rights as she delivered her latest statement against Texas’ abortion act.
The Lone Star State has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, setting several legal precedents for fellow red states to follow. Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court refused to take on a case presntned by the Biden-Harris administration seeking to enforce the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Under EMTALA, hospitals must provide an abortion if it is necessary to stabilize a patient, regardless of state laws banning or restricting the procedure. But the high court’s decision left Texas abortion restrictions largely intact.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who hailed the US Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, is also suing the federal government for the state’s right to access medical records of women traveling out of Texas for an abortion. Harris highlighted the hypocrisy: “On one hand, Donald Trump won’t let anyone see his medical records. And on the other hand, they want to get their hands on your medical records. Simply put: They are out of their minds.”
In addition to handing out LED bracelets that glowed in sync with the phrases “Trust Women” and “Freedom,” Harris strategically shared the stage with Texas U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred. Allred briefly addressed the crowd about his own campaign against incumbent Ted Cruz, capitalizing on the energy of the large crowd to encourage local support for his close race.
Texas hasn’t backed a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976, when Jimmy Carter won the White House. Now Carter, who recently fulfilled his wish of voting for Harris while in hospice care in Georgia, may witness another shift as the remarkable turnout for Harris’s rally hints at potential changes within the state’s voter base. Whether this momentum leads to concrete gains remains uncertain. Still, Harris’s decision to rally in Texas underscores the campaign’s intent to make inroads in traditionally conservative areas as election season comes to a close.
SOURCES
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-lawsuit-federal-rule-protects-medical-records-abortions
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-emergency-abortion-texas-bf79fafceba4ab9df9df2489e5d43e72
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-emergency-abortion-texas-bf79fafceba4ab9df9df2489e5d43e72