Biden’s campaign pushes abortion rights in the 2024 battle with Republicans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s reelection team is preparing a nationwide series of events and an advertising campaign focused on the battle over abortion rights, highlighting what Democrats believe will be a potent political weapon against likely Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris has led the charge on the issue for the White House and will hold the first event in Wisconsin on Monday, which would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the lawsuit that led to the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion.

Then Biden, Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will travel to Virginia on Tuesday for another campaign stop focused on abortion. It will be their first joint appearance for the 2024 reelection campaign.

Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority two years ago. Trump has taken credit for the outcome because as president he appointed three justices to the nine-member court.

Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, said in a statement that Trump as president “paved the way” for “draconian bans.”

“In 2024, a vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote to restore Roe, and a vote for Donald Trump is a vote to ban abortion across the country,” she said. “These are the stakes in 2024 and we’re going to continue to make sure that every single voter knows it.”

Biden’s campaign said its advertising campaign would focus on how abortion restrictions have affected women and health care providers.

In addition, several political allies — including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — are hosting their own events focused on battleground states.