OPINION: Kamala Harris will build the future America deserves

Vice President Kamala Harris has spent the last four weeks mobilizing a nation. At a time when reproductive freedom is under attack, that excitement is translating into voters ready to elect the most pro-choice ticket in history. But she has been the leader America needs in the fight for abortion rights since the beginning.

On the evening of May 3, 2022, I sat with hundreds of people reeling from the leaked Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that would rob women of the national right to abortion. As Kamala Harris spoke in response for the first time, she said what we all were thinking — “How dare they.” The next day she jumped into action, and has emerged as a tireless advocate for abortion rights in the White House and a true champion for reproductive freedom. 

She became the first sitting president or vice president to visit an abortion provider. The historic visit sent a powerful message of solidarity — that the Biden-Harris administration stands with the frontline health care workers who are working to safeguard abortion rights in the face of increasing attacks. She rallied thousands of voters across the country, centering the fight for reproductive freedoms at nearly 100 events in over 20 states. At each stop, she delivered a powerful message: the attacks on access to reproductive health care are an existential threat to the liberties of millions of Americans. 

Her message is more than rhetoric — it is a call to action. Harris has made clear that the fight for reproductive freedom is a fight for the soul of the nation. For voters, she frames the battle in stark terms, reminding them of what’s at stake and that the rollback of reproductive rights is the direct consequence of the actions of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. By linking the assault on abortion rights directly to broader planned attacks on fundamental freedoms, Harris has successfully engaged a diverse coalition of voters who understand that this issue is not just about women’s rights, but about the preservation of democracy itself.

And she is rallying voters who are passionate about abortion rights and concerned about the future of democracy. Her campaign is not just about winning a historic election, it is about continuing to build the movement she started when she uttered “How dare they” the night after the Dobbs leak. Kamala Harris’s vision for America is one of  a progressive future for our country, built on freedom and opportunity for all of us.   

As the country looks ahead to the 2024 presidential election, the excitement around Kamala Harris is palpable. Her ability to inspire and motivate voters — particularly women and young people — has provided Americans with a feeling that can’t be manufactured: hope for the future. Harris has shown that voters can turn the outrage we all feel at the loss of rights into action. 

Her leadership on reproductive freedom embodies the values that are the heart of the Democratic Party: equality, justice and opportunity for all. Her leadership on a range of issues from climate change to criminal justice reform demonstrates she is the leader who understands the connection of the challenges we face as a nation. And she is ready to address them with bold solutions — we just have to elect her first.

The stakes this November could not be higher. Reproductive rights and American democracy hang in the balance. To secure the future, we must elect leaders like Kamala Harris who have consistently taken action to protect our freedoms. But in order to restore the rights we’ve lost, we need pro-choice majorities at every level of government, from the White House to state legislatures.

We need leaders up and down the ballot who are committed to protecting abortion access — leaders like Kirsten Engel, who will stand at the forefront of the fight to safeguard reproductive rights in Arizona. In the Southwest and across the country, Arizona has become a critical battleground for abortion access, providing life-saving necessary abortion care to Arizonans, but also Americans from across the country who no longer have bodily autonomy at home.

EMILYs List has spent nearly 40 years helping to elect Democratic, pro-choice women like Kamala Harris and Kirsten Engel, who will restore our freedoms and build a future that we can be proud of. Like Vice President Harris, Engel has a strong record defending reproductive freedom, voting against Republican-led bills that sought to criminalize abortion and restrict access to reproductive health care. These are the leaders voters want — those who understand that their job is to not only safeguard the freedoms we already have, but to work towards a more equitable future for all.

The choice in this election is clear. On one side is the Republican Party who plans to roll back the rights and freedoms that many generations of Americans have fought to protect. On the other is Kamala Harris and a new generation of Democratic leaders like Kirsten Engel who believe in reproductive freedom, just like voters, and are ready to fight to safeguard those rights.