Oprah, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller rally for Kamala Harris
Oprah Winfrey and other A-list celebrities gave Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris a boost in the battleground state of Michigan
WASHINGTON — Oprah Winfrey and a long list of other A-list celebrities gave Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris a boost Thursday night in the critical battleground state of Michigan, hosting a livestreamed town hall designed to fire up the her base and appeal to undecided voters.
Winfrey played her familiar role of television host. But instead of the Oprah Winfrey Show, it was effectively a 90-minute campaign infomercial for Vice President Harris, who joined Winfrey on stage for a conversation 47 days before the November election.
“Can you feel it? Can you feel the joy rising in here?” Winfrey said when Harris arrived on stage in Farmington Hills, a suburb of Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan. Harris responded: “I can.”
“This movement is about reminding each other that we have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said. “This is so much bigger than me. It’s about who we are as Americans.”
About 400 spectators joined Harris and Winfrey inside the studio, and many more watched the event dubbed the “Unite for America” rally on YouTube, Facebook and other platforms. Several celebrities joined via Zoom including actor Bryan Cranston, actress Julia Roberts, actress Meryl Streep, actor Ben Stiller, comedian Chris Rock, actress Tracee Ellis Ross and singer Jennifer Lopez.
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Like past Democratic presidential nominees, Harris has enjoyed the star power of Hollywood during her two-month run for president, while former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has gotten support from celebrities such as Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan and businessman Elon Musk, who interviewed Trump last month on X, his social media site.
A Trump campaign fundraising email sent after the show’s conclusion warned the former president’s supporters that Harris has “Hollywood hacks like Oprah Winfrey” raising “millions for her campaign.”
‘I’m ready to turn the page,’ Chris Rock says
On screens around the television set at the Winfrey-Harris town hall were the faces of hundreds of Harris supporters including representatives of “Black Women for Harris, “White Dudes for Harris,” “White Women for Harris” and similar groups.
“I’m just smiling from ear to ear, Oprah,” Cranston said. “I have never felt this much joy and optimism in a campaign in a long time.”
“I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this Black woman president,” Rock told Winfrey. “I’m ready to turn the page, man. All of the hate and negativity, it has to stop.”
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Winfrey made a rare dive into national politics in August when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Thursday’s rally took place as Harris has found new momentum in both national and battleground polls that show Harris leading Trump.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, the campaign’s chair, sought to dispel any perception that Harris is ahead, however. “We are still in a margin-of-error race,” O’Malley Dillon said. “It’s tied. it’s tied right here in Michigan. It’s tied in all the battleground states.”
Families of Amber Thurman, school shooting victim address VP
The event was broken up into different segments with voters asking Harris questions about issues such as gun control, the economy, inflation, the southern border and abortion.
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An emotional moment came when the family of 28-year-old Amber Nicole Thurman addressed the vice president. Thurman died two years ago while pregnant when doctors as doctors in her home state of Georgia struggled to grapple with the state’s new restrictions on abortion.
“I want you to know that Amber was not a statistic,” Shanette Williams, Thurman’s mother, told Harris.
Also making an appearance was Marilda Griffith, the mother of 15-year-old Natalie Griffith. The younger Griffith was shot and injured during last month’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
“You do not know how it feels until it’s you,” said Marilda Griffith, who pleaded on the show for action on guns.
During a conversation about guns, Winfrey told Harris that she was surprised to learn during last week’s presidential debate that Harris is a gun owner.
“If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot,” Harris responded, then broke into a laugh. “Probably should not have said that. My staff will deal with that later.”
“Here’s my point, Oprah. I’m not trying to take everyone’s guns away. I believe in the Second Amendment,” Harris added, calling stronger gun background checks and banning assault weapons “just common sense.”
More: Gun-owner Kamala Harris says ‘they’re getting shot’ if intruder breaks into her house
Winfrey reaches out to independent voters
Winfrey began the livestream by saying the Harris’ candidacy has “unleashed a unifying force unlike anything we’ve seen in politics in a very long time.”
She ended the show by making the case to voters who still haven’t made their minds up about to support in the election.
“For all of you watching who are still on the fence, in the middle, independent as I am, or whether you just still don’t know what you’re going to do,” Winfrey said. “This is the moment for all decent and caring people who want the best for yourself and other people.
“This is the moment for people who are tired of all of the bickering and all of the name-calling,” Winfrey said. “People who are exhausted by the craziness and the made up stories and the conspiracies.”
Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.
