Highlight the threat of abortion bans

Kamala Harris plans to to make a stop in Texas to highlight the threat of abortion bans

The vice president will go to Houston on Friday.

Myah Ward

Kamala Harris on Friday will head to Texas, ground zero of state-level abortion bans in the post-Roe era.

The vice president will be joined in Houston by women who have been impacted by abortion bans and will warn about the threats of a national ban on the procedure if Donald Trump wins back the White House, according to a senior Harris campaign official. She will also record a podcast with academic Brené Brown, who has more than 5 million followers on Instagram.

After her stop in Texas, the vice president will travel for a campaign event in Atlanta on Saturday. There she will be joined by the family of Amber Nicole Thurman, the Georgia woman who died because she didn’t receive timely medical care due to the state’s six-week abortion ban.

If you’re wondering why Harris would spend time in Texas — a state that hasn't gone for a Democrat in a presidential election since 1976 — less than two weeks from Election Day, think less about the location and more about the national message. The campaign stop is the latest effort to elevate an issue that fueled Democrats to a better-than-expected showing in the 2022 midterms. And it underscores the Harris campaign’s belief that Trump’s position on abortion can once again persuade women — especially white women without a college degree — to vote for her.

While Texas isn't as competitive on the presidential level, the Senate race is surprisingly close, as Rep. Colin Allred looks to deny Sen. Ted Cruz a third term. Allred, who is running on abortion rights, will join Harris’ event after the issue was a central focus during last week’s debate. Cruz drew headlines for repeatedly refusing to say whether he supports allowing abortion in the cases of rape or incest.

Looking at the bigger picture, Texas has played a huge role in Harris’ efforts to keep Dobbs in the national spotlight. It was two years ago this month that she traveled to Texas in the height of the 2022 midterm campaign as part of her swing through states impacted by abortion bans, inspiring her to launch her reproductive freedom tour last year.

And beyond Harris’ own focus on the issue, the campaign has often elevated surrogates like Texas resident Amanda Zurawski, who led a lawsuit against the state abortion ban after nearly dying due to pregnancy complications. Kate Cox, who had to leave Texas for an abortion after a doctor said her pregnancy was non-viable and a threat to her health, has also appeared with the vice president.