Cast of ‘Scandal’ reunites in Michigan to rally Harris supporters around reproductive rights

Cornelius Smith Jr., Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington speak to the press after an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

The cast of the political thriller "Scandal" reunited on a weekend stop in Michigan during a cross country bus tour urging volunteers for Kamala Harris' campaign to ensure reproductive freedom is protected by electing the vice president to the White House in November.

Castmates Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn and others pressed the Harris-Walz campaign points Sunday that another Donald Trump presidency would only continue the erosion of women's rights to abortion and other autonomy over their own bodies.

Goldwyn, who played the fictional President Fitzgerald Grant in "Scandal," reminded the crowd that Trump, the Republican nominee, appointed three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. If Republicans win the presidency, he said, the nation's top court could lean even harder to the right.

"In a lot of ways, the nightmare that we all feared when Donald Trump was elected in 2016, it's come true," Goldwyn said. "And with the possibility of an additional two or possibly three Supreme Court seats coming up in the next four years, we are talking about the threat of cementing MAGA conservatism in America for a generation."

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) joined the actors to say that the fight for reproductive freedom extends beyond abortion. While Trump has said he supports in vitro fertilization, Stabenow challenged him to take action to prove it.

"We had a bill that was voted down by the Republicans in the Senate, and we brought it back a week ago," Stabenow said. "Hey, this is great, Donald Trump supports IVF. I'm sure he's going to want to get on the phone and tell every Republican senator to vote for it."

Washington, who played crisis manager Olivia Pope in "Scandal," said that while people may take comfort in watching series like "Scandal," it is ultimately up to them to take action in the real world.

"Throughout my career, whenever something unfolds that is shady, problematic, terrifying in politics, suddenly I see that my name starts trending on social media, because people say, 'Olivia Pope, you have to handle this,'" Washington said. "But the reality is, we know that although we had the distinct honor of playing gladiators on television for seven seasons, when it comes to handling it, we don't have the power. Our characters are not real people. Olivia Pope can't vote. She can't register people. She can't knock on doors. Olivia Pope can't donate to a campaign. Olivia Pope can't make phone calls. Because Olivia Pope is not a real human being, and Olivia Pope does not live in one of the most important states in the nation."

Cornelius Smith Jr., a Michigan native who played Marcus Walker, highlighted the Great Lakes State's history fighting for individual rights.

"We have a history of stepping up when the time is right, and in the most difficult times of our nation," Smith said. "At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Detroiters, courageous activists, laid the foundation for decades of progress, demanding equality for housing, education, employment and criminal justice.

"So to me, it's certainly no surprise that Michigan is on the front lines of one of the most important elections of our lifetime."

The "Scandal" actors are the latest celebrities to campaign for Harris. Oprah Winfrey visited Farmington Hills on Thursday for a live streamed event with the vice president and "Parks and Recreation" actor Adam Scott campaigned in Ann Arbor on Monday.

But Washington said the cast visited Michigan "not ... because we think we must listen to actors," but rather to point a spotlight on the volunteers she called "the real heroes in this moment, the real fixers, the real Gladiators." – references to what her character called her staff in the show.

"I think there might be a danger in having the campaign seem out of touch if the campaign was out of touch. The campaign is incredibly in touch with the people, and we're just here to support that effort," Washington said. "Every moment that we're here, we're shining a light on people who are doing the work on the grassroots level."

Actress Kerry Washington and the cast of "Scandal" speak to the press after an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Tony Goldwyn talks to the College Democrats of Michigan after an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, speaks at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., speaks at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Katie Lowes, right, takes the stage at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Bellamy Young takes the stage at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Cornelius Smith Jr. greets voters at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Bellamy Young speaks at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Kerry Washington speaks at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Guillermo Diaz, center, takes the stage at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Oakland County Executive David Coulter speaks at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., speaks at an event kicking off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour with the cast of "Scandal" in Madison Heights, Mich., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)