Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event

FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan – A star-studded virtual event hosted by media personality Oprah Winfrey on the night of Sept 19 to build enthusiasm for US Vice-President Kamala Harris’ campaign was marked by teary moments and celebrity endorsements, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers across social media.

Ms Winfrey hosted the Unite for America event with activist group Win With Black Women. The event aimed to register voters and bolster Ms Harris in states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan, which are set to decide the Nov 5 election.

Ms Shanette Williams, the mother of Ms Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old Georgia woman who died in August 2022 after a

hospital treatment delay related to the state’s restrictive abortion laws

, told the audience: “You are looking at a mother that is broken, the worst pain ever that a mother, that a parent can ever feel.”

Ms Harris responded: “I am just so sad. And the courage that you all have shown is extraordinary.” 

Many in the studio audience of about 400 were in tears.

Natalie Griffith, a 15-year-old student from Apalachee High School in Georgia who was shot twice while in mathematics class two weeks ago, sat with her parents in the front row.

“What are we doing?” asked Natalie’s mother, Ms Marilda Griffith.

“We have a job, that job is to protect our children. We have to stop it,” she said, as she and some in the audience, virtual and in-person, cried.

Ms Harris and Democrats have promised to restore national abortion rights impacted by a 2022 Supreme Court decision and pass a ban on assault weapons often used in mass shootings.

Celebrities, including comedians Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, actresses Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, and actor Bryan Cranston, joined the event and offered their reasons for backing Ms Harris or peppered her with questions.

“I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this black woman president,” Mr Rock said. 

Ms Winfrey noted Ms Harris’ swift transformation after

US President Joe Biden stepped out of the race

in late July, lauding Ms Harris for “stepping into her power”.

Ms Harris said: “You know, we each have those moments in our lives when it is time to step up.”

Before Mr Biden was forced out, Ms Harris’ strength as a presidential candidate was questioned by some Democrats in Washington, including the President. 

But she has revived Democrats’ chances, bringing in new fund raising and enthusiasm.

Ms Harris had an unguarded moment when Ms Winfrey said she was unaware that the Vice-President was a gun owner until her debate with Trump.

“If somebody breaks in my house, they are getting shot,” Ms Harris said. “Probably should not have said that,” she added. 

Ms Harris’ campaign advisers say nearly 200,000 people signed up to watch the live stream, and its YouTube audience was nearly 100,000 by the end.

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitch accounts for both Ms Winfrey and Ms Harris also showed the event.

Dozens of grassroots groups, including Latinas for Harris, White Dudes for Harris and Win With Black Men, held virtual organising and fund-raising calls in the days after Ms Harris became the Democratic nominee, and Sept 19 was the first time they joined in one event.

In a recent Reuters poll, Ms Harris led Trump 47 per cent to 42 per cent. Ms Harris was ahead in the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and North Carolina, while Trump had greater support in Georgia, according to polling averages from aggregator FiveThirtyEight. They are tied in Arizona.

Campaign chief Jen O’Malley Dillon told the crowd: “And while we have this extraordinary growing enthusiasm that the Vice-President and Governor (Tim) Walz are seeing everywhere, we are still in a margin-of-error race. It is tied. It is tied right here in Michigan. It is tied in all the battleground states.”

Earlier on Sept 18, pro-Palestinian grassroots organisation the Uncommitted National Movement, which has a large presence in Michigan, announced it was not endorsing Ms Harris, even as the group said it also opposes Trump and does not encourage votes for third-party candidates. REUTERS