By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Thursday, making him the latest celebrity to back the Democratic vice president in her campaign against Republican Donald Trump.
“What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS,” James said on social media.
Harris, who is in what polls show to be a tight race against Trump, has already been endorsed by some big celebrities, ranging from actress Meryl Streep to comedian Chris Rock and former talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Superstar singers Beyonce and Taylor Swift have also endorsed her.
Los Angeles Lakers forward James, who is playing in his 22nd season in the NBA after leading Team USA to Olympic gold at the Paris Games this summer, posted a 75-second video compilation showing rhetoric against minorities and immigrants by Trump and his supporters.
Harris would be the first woman and the first Black woman to be president if she wins the election on Tuesday.
James, who is Black, has been active previously in endorsing Democratic candidates. In 2016 he endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton against Trump. And in 2020 he endorsed Democrat Joe Biden against Trump.
Harris has been attempting to boost her support among Black men, a voting bloc that some of her advisers fear is increasingly leaning toward Trump.
According to Reuters/Ipsos polls in October, the share of Black men saying they would vote for Harris, at 63%, was down 8 points from Biden’s share with that demographic ahead of the 2020 election. Some 19% of Black men said in October they would vote for Trump, compared with 17% who said they backed him in October 2020.
In some Democratic circles, there has been concern that too many celebrity supporters could fuel a backlash. Some felt Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, created an image of elitism with a long parade of stars campaigning for her.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee and Leslie Adler)
Comments