In a strategic move, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Florida this Wednesday, mere hours after the state’s controversial six-week abortion ban comes into effect. This visit is part of the Biden administration’s ongoing effort to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for the wave of abortion restrictions being implemented across the nation.
Harris, who has been spearheading the Biden administration’s campaign on reproductive rights, is scheduled to speak at a campaign event in Jacksonville. She will be introduced by a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, as confirmed by a campaign official.
The Vice President is expected to directly attribute the Supreme Court’s historic reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, and the subsequent abortion bans in several states, to Trump’s influence. She will also address the potential criminal prosecution risks that medical providers face due to abortion bans like the one in Florida.
Harris will also respond to Trump’s recent comments to Time magazine, where he expressed indifference when asked about states punishing women who undergo abortions where it is banned.
This visit to Florida follows President Joe Biden’s trip to Tampa last week, where he also highlighted the state’s six-week abortion ban. Biden’s advisors hope that the political relevance of reproductive rights can energize voters ahead of Election Day and make Florida – a state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 – more competitive.
Democrats are also capitalizing on the fact that a constitutional amendment to codify abortion protections in the state will be on the fall ballot, hoping this measure can boost voter turnout.
The Biden campaign has been closely monitoring Jacksonville, the most populous city in Florida. They hope to replicate the key dynamics that delivered Duval County for Biden in 2020, including increased Black voter turnout and the rejection of Trump by suburban women, in swing areas across the country.
Harris has emerged as the Biden campaign’s most prominent messenger on abortion rights since the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. She has been actively campaigning in key states that may prove crucial to delivering Biden a reelection victory in November.
As the ban is set to take effect Wednesday, the national Democratic Party purchased billboards in Spanish and English tying Trump to abortion bans and targeting high-traffic areas in Gainesville, Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried warned Tuesday in a call with reporters that the Florida law’s implementation would mean “access to reproductive care is now effectively eliminated.”
“The Democratic Party is really energized by the fact that the attention that we are receiving from the administration, and they understand that if you want to protect democracy and freedom across the entire country, that you have to come to the belly of the beast, which is here in the state of Florida,” Fried said.
Contributions to this report were made by CNN’s Ebony Davis.