Written by via npr.org
HOUSTON — The stands were vibrating under the stomping feet of the crowd at Shell Stadium in Houston Friday night.
But Beyoncé hadn’t even come out yet.
The crowd was chanting “Beat Ted Cruz,” as Cruz’s senate challenger, Democratic Congressman Colin Allred, raised his fist behind the podium on stage, cheering the crowd of 30,000 attendees on.
Vice President Harris’ visit to Houston in the final stretch to Election Day was in part to rally support for Allred. But the focus was mainly to bring the spotlight back on reproductive rights — in the place Harris has called “ground zero” in the fight to restrict abortion rights in the country.
The Lonestar State may seem like an unusual stop with less than two weeks until voting closes — it is not a swing state and former President Donald Trump is all but certain to carry it. But Trump and Harris both campaigned there on Friday, and the messages they each brought to the state highlight the urgency of their closing themes.
“I know sometimes in Texas, folks are like, ‘Is it worth it? Doesn’t make a difference,'” Harris said, nodding to the fact that she is unlikely to take this red state. “You are making a difference. And momentum is on our side,” she said.
Harris focused on Texas’ strict abortion ban at her rally in Houston, as Democrats have spent years hammering Republicans over unpopular crackdowns on reproductive rights — to great success at the ballot box.
The rally featured dozens of OB-GYNs in white coats and women who told their personal stories about how their lives were endangered by abortion bans — and blaming Trump for the trauma.