Harris to Hit the Road on Reproductive Rights Campaign Tour
Originally published by Cassie Semyon for Spectrum News
With an appearance in South Carolina Monday, President Joe Biden delivered his second campaign speech in a matter of four days, a sign that the 2024 election is heating up.
Now his vice president is preparing to hit the road as well. Kamala Harris will deliver a series of speeches and appearances in swing states across the country to focus on abortion rights — a potent issue for Democrats since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned federal abortion protections in 2022.
“The reason that we’re kicking this tour off is one, we want to make sure she wants to make sure that we are taking the fight directly to communities, letting them know where this administration stands in the fight for their reproductive health and their reproductive freedoms,” Harris Press Secretary Kirsten Allen told Spectrum News. “From day one, since Dobbs came down, the President and Vice President believe and are working to firmly protect the right for women to make decisions about their own body.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, more than 20 states have banned or severely restricted abortion rights. Michael Genovese, president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University, said this will be a key issue in 2024, and it makes sense to have Harris out front on it.
“Democrats from day one, right after Roe vs. Wade was overturned, have decided to make this one of their premier issues. And in fact, it has legs, it has really resonated, especially among female voters,” said Genovese. “Having a woman out there making that case really strengthens the argument — most of the argument is done by older white males. And younger women look at that, and they go, ‘who are you to talk about my body?’ And so Harris has more legitimacy in talking about that issue.”
This is Harris’ second tour in recent months to try and energize voters ahead of the 2024 election. In the fall, she embarked on a multi-state “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour, meeting with young voters who have struggled to be excited by the top of the ticket.