(AFP) – Pop star Lizzo appeared at a rally Saturday in her childhood hometown of Detroit to stump for Kamala Harris, encouraging early voting in the battleground state of Michigan that is crucial to the ever-tightening US presidential race. The Grammy-winning artist called voting not a “love letter” but a “chess move” and said the Democratic vice president was the best option in the race against Republican Donald Trump, who was also set to tap star power in bringing out billionaire tech bro Elon Musk in Pennsylvania later Saturday.
Wearing a suffragette-white pantsuit as she addressed the crowd in Motor City, Lizzo emphasized that “whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or neither, you deserve a president who listens when you speak.” “You deserve a president who respects when you protest. You deserve a president who understands that their job is to be a public servant. And Kamala Harris has dedicated her entire career to public service,” the singer said.
Lizzo also drew cheers when urging listeners that America was more than ready for its first woman president, dropping a reference to her own hit song: “It’s about damn time!” In brief remarks that followed, Harris cast herself as a leader for the people in contrast to her opponent, whose brash persona she dubbed “self-consuming.” “We stand for the idea that the true measure of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down, it’s on who you lift up,” said Harris, who repeated her vows to invest in the working and middle classes.
The 59-year-old, whose birthday is Sunday, will also be joined by R&B star Usher at a get-out-the-vote rally in Atlanta, Georgia. Both candidates are fighting on every front to seal votes in a race that polls suggest is effectively tied with fewer than three weeks to Election Day. Musk, who endorsed Trump in July, is one of the Biden administration’s fiercest critics and has emerged as a loud voice in US politics since taking over Twitter, now known as X. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has taken an increasingly visible role in Trump’s campaign and has donated almost $75 million to his political organization, America PAC.
Harris, meanwhile, has deployed high-wattage surrogates—from ex-president Barack Obama to rapper/singer Megan Thee Stallion—since replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee in July. Seeking to shift razor-thin poll margins in the White House race, Harris has ramped up attacks on the mental fitness of the 78-year-old Trump, who is the oldest presidential candidate in US history. She questioned his ability to be president after the one-time real estate mogul faced speculation that he is “exhausted” after backing out of a spate of interviews.
Politico reported a Trump aide had told producers at a website negotiating an interview that the ex-president was “exhausted” and refusing some appearances—a claim described by his campaign as “detached from reality.” Beyond the accusations, both candidates are spending their final campaign days in pivotal battleground states where early voting is already underway. With less than three weeks to go, Harris has seen encouraging signs in her push for supporters to vote as soon as possible, as a bulwark against the traditional Republican edge among Election Day voters.
Almost 12 million votes had been cast by Friday evening—around a third of them in the seven swing states expected to decide the election—according to data tracked by the University of Florida Election Lab. Georgia has been smashing records, while North Carolina reported a first day of voting Thursday that beat 2020, when there was a pandemic-linked surge in early ballots. Where party breakdowns were available, registered Democrats accounted for roughly half of the total, while Republicans—who have spent much of the Trump era casting aspersions over drop boxes and mailed ballots—were responsible for around a third.
– Saul LOEB, with Maggy Donaldson in New York
© 2024 AFP
