She plans to hammer former Pres. Donald Trump for saying he’s “proud” to have helped overturn Roe
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is taking center stage in the Democrats’
Wisconsin, Harris’ first stop, is a key battleground state with an ongoing legal battle over abortion. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Republicans argued that an 1849 law that was still on the books would effectively ban the procedure except in situations where a mother’s life was at risk.
“These extremists want to roll back the clock to a time before women were treated as full citizens,” Harris plans to say in her speech on Monday.
Clinics across the state stopped offering abortions until a court ruled the law did not apply to abortions. Republicans have appealed the decision, and the case will likely be decided by the state supreme court.
Abortion has reshaped Harris’ tenure as vice president after earlier struggles when dealing with intractable issues like migration from Central America.
Jamal Simmons, a former communications director for Harris, said abortion “focused her attention and her office in a way that nothing had before.”
“Focusing on abortion rights tapped into the vice president’s legal background, her political values and her substantive knowledge in a way that I saw no other issue do while I was there,” he said.
Vice presidents are rarely decisive figures in reelection campaigns. However, Harris has faced additional scrutiny because of Biden’s age — he would be 82 at the start of a second term — and her status as the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve in her position.
The battle over abortion will also bolster her visibility.
“The president and the vice president appeal to different parts of the party,” Simmons said. “They’re stronger as a team.”
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