FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Sept 19 (Askume) – Oprah Winfrey hosted a star-studded virtual event for Kamala Harris Harris’ campaign on Thursday night that was upbeat and filled with tear-jerking moments and celebrity endorsements that captured the attention of millions.
Winfrey and the activist group Win With Black Women hosted the “Unite for America” event, aimed at registering voters to vote andHarris’s position is getting stronger in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan .The election, scheduled for Nov. 5, has not yet been finalized.
Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old Georgia woman, died in August 2022 after hospital care was delayed because of the state’s restrictive abortion laws . “The mother you see is their mother,” she told viewers. “It’s heartbreaking, the deepest pain a mother, a parent can feel.”
“I’m so sorry. The courage you’ve shown is extraordinary,” Harris responded, as many in the studio audience of about 400 wept.
Natalie Griffith, a 15-year-old student at Apalachee High School in Georgia, was shot twice in math class two weeks ago as she sat in the front row with her parents.
“What are we doing?” asked Natalee’s mother, Marilda Griffith. “Our job, our job is to protect our children. We have to stop this,” she said, while she and some viewers, both virtual and in person, wept.
Harris and Democrats promised to restore abortion rights across the country affected by the Supreme Court decision in 2022 and ban assault weapons often used in mass shootings.
Celebrities such as comedians Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, as well as actors Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston attended the event to explain their support for Harris’s cause and ask her a series of questions.
“I want to take my daughters to the White House to meet this black woman president,” Locke said.
Winfrey noted Harris’ quick turnaround after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in late July and praised Harris for “stepping into her own power.”
“You know, there are moments in our lives when we need to move on , ” Harris said. But she also reinvigorated the Democratic Party’s prospects, raising new fundraising and enthusiasm.
It was an unexpected moment for Harris after Winfrey said she did not know Harris was a gun owner before her debate with Republican rival Donald Trump.
“If anybody came into my house they would be shot,” Harris said. “Maybe I shouldn’t say that,” he said.
Harris campaign advisers said about 200,000 people had signed up to watch the live broadcast, and by the time it ended, it had about 100,000 viewers on YouTube. The event was also streamed on Winfrey and Harris’ Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitch accounts.
Since Harris became the Democratic nominee, dozens of grassroots groups, including Latinos for Harris, Whites for Harris and Blacks to WIN, have held virtual events and fundraisers, with Thursday marking the first time they have gathered together for a single event.
In a recent Askume poll, Harris leads Trump 47% to 42%.
According to an average of polls by aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Harris is ahead in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and North Carolina, while Trump has more support in Georgia. They are tied in Arizona.
“While the Vice President and Governor Walz are everywhere and our enthusiasm is unusually high, we are still competing with errors. Things are leveling off. Michigan is leveling off. All the swing states are leveling off. It’s a draw,” leader Jen O’Malley Dillon told the crowd.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Movement for Uncommitted Nations, a pro-Palestinian grassroots organization with large influence in Michigan, announced it would not endorse Harris . However, the organization said it also opposed Trump and third-party candidates and discouraged voting.
