Beyonc Rallies for Harris in Houston With a Message for the Battlegrounds

Vice President Kamala Harris diverted from the presidential battlegrounds on Friday to receive the endorsement of the global superstar Beyoncé in Texas, in an event almost entirely focused on abortions rights.With the presidential race deadlocked, the Harris campaign sought to use Beyoncé’s status — particularly in her hometown, Houston — to focus attention on the state’s near-total abortion ban as a cautionary tale for what could happen throughout the country should former President Donald J.Trump win another term in the White House.The rally in Houston was not only her campaign’s largest but also its most emotionally charged event since she became the Democratic nominee.

Beyoncé offered a speech focused on a more optimistic future, and the wrenching stories of Texas women who suffered life-threatening health complications as a result of being denied proper care for pregnancy complications were center stage.Ms.Harris and many of the speakers laid the blame solely on Mr.

Trump, who frequently boasts of appointing three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v.Wade in 2022.While Mr.

Trump has promised to leave abortion laws to individual states, and says he would veto a national ban, allies of the former president and officials who served in his administration are planning ways to restrict abortion rights that would go beyond the laws enacted in conservative states across the country.Ms.Harris warned that, if elected to another term, Mr.

Trump would move to ban abortion nationally — regardless of his campaign promises.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....