HOUSTON, Texas – Hours before Vice President Kamala Harris is set to hold a rally in Houston, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is hosting a rally to support former President Donald Trump.
This news came on the same day the Harris campaign announced her rally would feature Houston-native Beyonce. The Harris rally is set to begin at 3 p.m., while Mack’s rally will begin at 10 a.m. at his Gallery Furniture North Freeway location.
Although Trump will not physically be in attendance, Mack and other special guests are set to speak in his absence.
Trump is holding a rally in Austin on Friday, where he is expected to address issues surrounding border security and immigration crime. The rally is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is set to join him on stage.
Harris arrived in Houston Thursday night for her rally at Shell Energy Stadium.
She is anticipated to speak on reproductive rights and will be joined by Senate candidate Collin Allred. Harris will also be joined at the rally by women who have nearly died from sepsis and other pregnancy complications because they were unable to get proper medical care, including women who never intended to end their pregnancies.
Some of them have already been out campaigning for Harris and others have told their harrowing tales in campaign ads that seek to show how the issue has ballooned into something far bigger than the right to end an unwanted pregnancy.
Harris’ campaign has taken on Beyonce’s 2016 track “Freedom” as its anthem, and the message dovetails with the vice president’s push for reproductive freedom. The singer’s planned appearance Friday adds a high level of star power to Harris’ visit to the state. While in Texas, Harris also will tape a podcast with popular host Brené Brown.
Harris isn’t likely to win Texas, but her team said that isn’t the point of her presence Friday.
“Of all the states in the nation, Texas has been ground zero for harrowing stories of women, including women who have been denied care, who had to leave the state, mothers who have had to leave the state,” said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, a legal group behind many lawsuits challenging abortion restrictions. “It’s one of the major places where this reality has been so, so devastatingly felt.”
As of Friday, close to 500,000 voters in Harris County have already cast their ballots. If you have questions about voting, KPRC 2′s Candace Burns is here to help—send your questions her way.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.