Vice President Kamala Harris participates in an Instagram Live event on voting, Thursday, August 4, 2021, in her Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Though now somewhat outdated after President Joe Biden dropped out of his campaign for reelection, a recent Emerson College poll showed former President Donald Trump with a two-point lead over him among Virginia voters. While forthcoming polling can help shed more light on a matchup between Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris, the Emerson poll also noted where abortion policy could give an edge to Harris’ campaign.
Forty-four percent of polled Virginia voters “would like to see abortion laws be less strict.” Meanwhile, 35% support laws remaining as they are — legal for any reason up to about 26 weeks, with limited exceptions later — and 21% support more strict abortion laws, the poll showed.
Harris has emerged as a national leader in discussing abortion rights — often noting the prominent role electing Democrats plays in retaining or re-establishing abortion rights around the country. Earlier this year, she visited an abortion clinic — an apparent first a president or vice presidential candidate in America.
Abortion access has been a winning issue for Democrats around the country in state congressional races since the overturn of federal protections two summers ago. In Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin led an effort to build consensus around a 15-week ban with limited exceptions after that point and most GOP candidates fell in line last year as the entire state legislature was up for election. Amid heated debates about that key issue, Democrats held their majority in the Senate and gained control of the House of Delegates.
Nationwide, a Pew Research Center survey found that two thirds of the country believes abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in a recent statement that she believes Harris will “continue to fight like hell to rebuild a fundamental right that was stripped away.”
While Trump’s campaign has said Virginia is “in play” among other states that could be key to control of Congress and the White House, Harris’ stance on abortion could be one of her strongest policy positions that could lock down Democratic voters and sway others for whom reproductive rights resonate strongly.
Early in their re-election campaign before Biden dropped out, he and Harris announced restoring federal abortion protections as a key pillar of their platform, and expressed the same sentiment in Virginia. Democratic leaders around the country have also stressed reproductive rights as a key focus of this year’s elections.
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