With movie and music stars’ support, Harris and Obama push early voting

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris basked in the support of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, entertainer Tyler Perry and former President Barack Obama on Thursday at a rally that drew thousands in the battleground state of Georgia.

Seeking to excite supporters in a state that could help determine the winner of the 2024 election, the U.S. vice president and her high-profile endorsers urged the crowd to take advantage of early voting, and to reject her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

“We here understand we have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump,” Harris said. “Please vote early.”

Obama, who has been campaigning in multiple swing states for Harris, made his case against Trump, arguing the former president thought about no one but himself.

According to Harris, about 20,000 people attended the Georgia rally, Harris’ campaign said, which would make it her largest political rally yet, besting the 17,000 she drew in Greensboro, North Carolina, in early September.

As Harris spoke, a noticeable number of people who had been sitting for hours began to leave their seats and make their ways to the exits, leaving pockets of empty seats in what was once a packed house.