Harris and Beyoncé gather in Texas as Trump sits for interview with Joe Rogan: NPR

Vice President Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Georgia on Thursday. On Friday she is traveling to Houston for a rally with Beyoncé.

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Texas is not a swing state that will decide the next president, but Friday's stops by Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump could have an impact — or so they hope.

The Lonestar State may seem like an unusual stop, with less than two weeks until voting ends, even though it is home to a high-profile Senate race featuring Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Collin Allred. But the messaging and media both campaigns have planned underscore the urgency of their closing messages.

Harris plans to focus her rally in Houston on Texas' strict abortion ban, while Democrats have spent years harassing Republicans over unpopular crackdowns on reproductive rights – with great success at the ballot box. Trump's nomination of three conservative justices to the Supreme Court and subsequent repeal Roe v. Wade was a great burden for him.

On the campaign trail, Harris also mentioned the stories of several women who say their lives are at risk because of abortion bans, including in Texas. A new ad released this week as part of her campaign features a woman in Texas who was denied medical care after suffering a miscarriage. She developed a septic infection that required emergency surgery, and because of what happened, she may never be able to have children. The background audio shows Trump from a recent rally where he said he would be a “protector” of women.

The Houston rally will also feature hometown superstar Beyoncé, whose song “Freedom” was Harris' campaign anthem. Harris has received support from a number of entertainers including Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion and Bruce Springsteen, who performed several songs with former President Barack Obama at a rally Thursday in Atlanta.

“We understand here that we have an opportunity to bring an end to the fear and division that has characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump,” Harris said Thursday. “We have the opportunity to turn the page and chart a new and joyful path forward.”

Trump will do an interview with Joe Rogan

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Mullett Arena on Thursday in Tempe, Arizona. Trump is traveling to Texas on Friday, where he is scheduled to record an interview with Joe Rogan.

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Meanwhile, in Austin, Trump will deliver remarks on immigration and the border before recording a podcast with Joe Rogan, who has millions of followers and a predominantly younger and male audience – a key constituency for the former president.

Unlike other more friendly interviews Trump has conducted in recent weeks, Rogan hasn't always been uncritical of him. In a podcast in August, Rogan appeared to praise Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then a third-party candidate for president. In the episode, Rogan said politicians on both sides of the aisle “pressure you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives.”

That aroused Trump's ire, and Rogan quickly tried to smooth things over.

“My point is that I like RFKjr as a person, and I really appreciate the way he discusses things with politeness and intelligence,” Rogan wrote on X. “I also think Trump raises his fist and says 'Fight !' says. after I was shot is one of the most American things ever. I'm not the type of person you get political information from.

Trump's media strategy this election cycle has relied heavily on these social media-friendly, male-centric podcasts and influencers, who largely avoid probing political questions and portray the former president as a friendly, approachable figure.

The two appearances in Texas also highlight what could be the widest gender gap in a recent presidential election, with Harris increasing support among women and Trump among men.