Harris, Obama campaign together for 1st time at star-studded Georgia rally

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with former President Barack Obama for the first time Thursday night in must-win Georgia at a star-studded rally near Atlanta to kick off her “When We Vote We Win” concert series to turn out voters in the election’s closing stretch.

Bruce Springsteen, whose music has peppered many Democratic presidential candidates’ set lists, performed at the get-out-the-vote concert, with stars with Georgia ties joining Harris as well, including Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Tyler Perry and Mix Master David, according to the campaign.

A senior campaign official said they view these large events as ways to draw in large crowds of voters and to encourage them to cast their ballots early, and to sign up to volunteer for phone banking and door-knocking shifts.

Harris is set to appear with former first lady Michelle Obama in Michigan on Saturday, campaign officials said.

The Obamas endorsed Harris in July and both spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Asked about her support from Obama and Springsteen while speaking to reporters in Philadelphia on Thursday, Harris said she’s “honored” to have them at her campaign events.

“I’m very honored to have the support of former President Obama. As you know, he’s been on the campaign trail and has been really wonderful and extraordinary in terms of the time and effort that he’s putting into our campaign, and people like Bruce Springsteen, to have their support, and of course, he is an American icon,” Harris said. “I think it just shows the breadth and depth of the support that we have and also the enthusiasm that a lot of people are bringing to the campaign and feel about our campaign.”

As of Wednesday, nearly 2 million Georgians voted early, surpassing the similar first eight days of early voting in 2022, 2020 and 2018, according to the office of the Georgia Secretary of State.

Georgia is a prime target for the Harris campaign as they look to hold on to a state President Joe Biden won by only 11,779 votes. And it’s bound to be close again. Former President Donald Trump is currently leading Harris in Georgia by 1.5%, according to 538’s polling average.

In the final days of the race, Harris’ team has enlisted celebrities to help share her message and get voters out during early voting periods across the country. On Saturday, Harris was joined by Lizzo in Detroit and Usher in Atlanta, while on Tuesday, Eminem introduced Obama at a Detroit rally.

Also, megastar Beyoncé is set to join the vice president at a rally in the singer’s hometown of Houston on Friday.

ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.