Can Beyonce help Kamala Harris put a ring on Texas?

Vice President Kamala Harris, no stranger to frequent visits to key battlegrounds like Philadelphia and Milwaukee, recently opted for a different strategy to re-energise disengaged voters. Rather than visiting a traditional battleground, her campaign organised a trip to Houston — Texas’s largest city, though not typically contested in presidential races. There, she appeared at a rally alongside Texas icons Beyoncé and Willie Nelson, aiming to create a memorable moment with two highly influential figures.

Harris’s team hoped that Beyoncé and Nelson, both widely respected across various communities, could transcend usual political divides and create the type of viral content that stands out amidst a busy media landscape. The rally was focused on Texas’s strict abortion ban following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, intended as a cautionary tale for voters in other states where similar restrictions may be on the horizon.

Trey Martinez Fischer, Democratic leader in the Texas State House, noted that Harris’s mission was to amplify the voices of Texan women, making their concerns resonate in key areas like Madison, Kalamazoo, and Pittsburgh. In this way, the campaign aimed to elevate issues from the heart of Texas for the entire nation’s attention.

The Houston event was meticulously planned to attract media coverage likely to reach voters in swing states. Ahead of the rally with Beyoncé and Nelson, Harris also scheduled a podcast interview with the influential podcaster and University of Houston professor Brené Brown, whose wide audience, largely female, could prove essential to her message.

This unconventional approach bore similarities to former President Donald Trump’s recent strategy, as he appeared at events in places like Aurora, Colorado, and Coachella, California, while making no direct investment or expectations in these states. Instead, the focus lay on reaching wider audiences with memorable moments. Trump was also scheduled to visit Texas, recording a podcast with Joe Rogan in Austin and later appearing alongside Senator Ted Cruz.

In the era of modern presidential campaigns, viral content holds as much power as local TV coverage in battlegrounds. Harris’s campaign team expected that footage from the Texas rally would eventually make its way into battleground state broadcasts, achieving the broader reach they were aiming for.