By Gabriella Borter and Stephanie Kelly
FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan (Reuters) -A star-studded virtual event hosted by Oprah Winfrey Thursday night to build enthusiasm for Kamala Harris' campaign was marked by teary moments and celebrity endorsements, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers across social media.
Winfrey hosted the "Unite for America" event with activist group Win with Black Women, that aimed to register people to vote and bolster Harris in states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan that are set to decide the Nov. 5 election.
Shanette Williams, the mother of 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're looking at a mother that is broken, the worst pain ever that a mother, that a parent can ever feel."
Harris responded: "I'm 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 math class two weeks ago, sat with her parents in the front row.
“What are we doing?” asked Natalie’s mother, 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.
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 along with actors Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston joined the event and offered their reasons for backing Harris or peppered her with questions.
"I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this Black woman president," Rock said.
Winfrey noted Harris' swift transformation after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race in late July, lauding Harris for "stepping into her power."
"You know we each have those moments in our lives when its time to step up," Harris said. Before Biden was forced out, Harris' strength as a presidential candidate was questioned by some Democrats in Washington, including Biden. But she has revived Democrats' chances, bringing in new fundraising and enthusiasm.
Harris had an unguarded moment, when Winfrey said she was unaware that Harris was a gun owner until her debate with Republican opponent Donald Trump.
“If somebody breaks in my house, they’re getting shot,” Harris said. "Probably should not have said that," she added.
Harris campaign advisers say nearly 200,000 people signed up to watch the livestream, and its YouTube audience was nearly 100,000 by the end. Instagram, Facebook (NASDAQ:META), Tiktok and Twitch accounts for both Winfrey and Harris also showed the event.
Dozens of grassroots groups including Latinas for Harris, White Dudes for Harris and Win With Black Men that held virtual organizing and fundraising calls in the days after Harris became the Democratic nominee and Thursday marked the first time they all joined in one event.
In a recent Reuters poll, Harris led Trump 47% to 42%.
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.
“And while we have this extraordinary growing enthusiasm that the Vice President and Governor Walz are seeing everywhere, we are still in a margin of error race. It's tied. It's tied right here in Michigan. It's tied in all the battleground states," campaign chief Jen O’Malley Dillon told the crowd.
Earlier Wednesday, pro-Palestinian grassroots organization the Uncommitted National Movement which has a large presence in Michigan, announced it was not endorsing Harris, even as the group said it also opposes Trump and does not encourage votes for third-party candidates.