Kamala Harris’ candidacy could strengthen Democrats’ message on abortion

By Shefali Luthra, Mel Leonor Barclay. Originally published by The 19th

President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek a second term — and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him — gives Democrats an opportunity to put forward an enthusiastic and consistent messenger on abortion rights heading into the first presidential election since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

Harris had already become the administration’s leading voice on the importance of abortion rights, a key Democratic issue at the federal and state levels. She spent the past year using rallies and interviews to make clear to voters how a second Donald Trump presidency and Republican majorities in Congress could restrict access to abortion.

Although Biden said he offered Harris his “full support,” the decision will be up to delegates at the party’s national convention next month. Some Democratic leaders, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said they would support an open process to determine who the party’s nominee will be.

Harris’ nomination would mark a sharp shift from Biden, who focused his reelection campaign on abortion but has at times struggled to clearly articulate his party’s position that it is a fundamental right for women. Biden, a devout Roman Catholic, has evolved his position on the issue over his five decades in office, from opposing most abortions to running for reelection on restoring federal protections for abortion under Roe v. Wade.

Democrats’ ability to energize and convince voters on this issue will be a deciding factor in an election that is just 107 days away. The popularity of abortion rights among voters has made the issue a drag on Republicans, costing them victories across the board over the past two years. The party appears to be trying to neutralize the issue by distracting voters, as illustrated at the Republican National Convention last week, where only two low-key speakers mentioned abortion. Neither Trump nor his running mate, J.D. Vance, nor any Republican elected official in attendance, nor any Republican running for office made a single nod to abortion, though Vance has previously expressed support for a national ban on the procedure.

The Republican National Committee’s platform, which the party quietly approved ahead of its convention in Milwaukee last week, makes no mention of a national abortion ban, though it endorses a legal theory that could give fetuses the same rights as people. Meanwhile, Project 2025, a conservative political wish list written by a group that includes former Trump aides, argues that if Republicans take the White House, they should use federal offices such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Justice Department to limit access to abortion nationwide.

More Americans believe that a candidate’s position on abortion will determine their vote. A poll by KFF, a nonpartisan health research organization, found that 12% of voters said abortion was the most important issue influencing their vote; another 52% said it was “very important,” but not their top concern. Most voters who prioritize abortion say they support access to the procedure, KFF found. A Pew Research Center survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

The Democratic Party as a whole has already made abortion a central issue of its campaign, relying heavily on the stories of women who have sought abortions.

Harris’ status as a leading contender for the nomination would make her one of the most pro-abortion rights candidates ever nominated by a major political party, even as the country enters its first presidential election since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to ban the procedure.

“If we, in this year of our Lord 2024, have a mindset where the government can tell you what to do with your body — I mean, the most basic things that you should have control over — everybody better be careful about the other freedoms that you take for granted,” Harris said at a campaign event last week in Michigan.

Biden stumbled over a question on the topic during the June 27 presidential debate and drew criticism from some abortion rights supporters, who noted his infrequent use of the word “abortion.”

Although he promised as president to sign any bill that would codify federal abortion rights, Biden is also known to be less comfortable with abortion itself and, as a junior senator, argued that Roe v. Wade went “too far.”

“Harris has always had a history of being concerned about this issue in the White House,” Mary Ziegler, an abortion historian at the University of California, Davis, recently told The 19th. “She took on this role to be the voice of this issue and was much more comfortable and outspoken on abortion issues than Biden.”