The Harris political team identifies potential to engage certain male electorate on reproductive issues.
On a Sunday, the 69-year-old ex-psychologist, whose shirt declared "Vote Like it's 1973," joined about 100 voters at a Kamala Harris campaign event promoting reproductive rights. His spouse, Gary Goldberg, an elderly 70-year-old retired computer software developer, accompanied him.
Goldberg expressed, "I'm here to support my wife and everyone else who deserves the freedom to manage their own reproductive rights."
Republicans view abortion as a contentious election issue that predominantly influences and impacts women. However, Democrats envision the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision - a result of Trump-selected conservative justices - and subsequent state abortion restrictions as an opportunity to mobilize more men behind the cause.
The aim is not to convince vast masses of males, but to widen the pool of supporters who perceive reproductive rights as a personal concern. Even minor advancements - accomplished through the intersection of boosting Democratic male voter turnout and influencing some moderates and independents - could sway contests in states like Pennsylvania, where the election could hinge on an agonizingly narrow margin.
The Harris campaign has intertwined the issue with a broader struggle for autonomy and employed male surrogates to recount their personal experiences on how abortion bans jeopardized the well-being of pregnant women and their potential to conceive in the future. Many of these speakers have been men, including Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee, and Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris' campaign manager, remarks, "Women certainly feel the impact of abortion restrictions, but we understand that it affects families as well, including fathers, husbands, and spouses."
This sentiment aligns with some men that CNN interviewed during the Philadelphia bus tour stop.
Michael Cook, a 62-year-old from Yardley, Pennsylvania, attends with his spouse. He shares, "I wish all my nieces and the women I cherish to have the liberty to handle their own bodies, decide about their own bodies, period."
The gender divide on abortion
Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, predicts that the election will hinge on whether issues favoring Republicans, such as the economy, inflation, and immigration, outweigh the significance of abortion for Democrats. However, the intensity of voters' stances on certain topics plays an essential role as well.
"Everything we've learned shows that there are more people motivated by economic and inflation concerns than there are by abortion," Ayres noted. "But the individuals motivated by abortion are highly intense and driven."
Recent polls suggest that voters give Harris more credibility on abortion policy than Trump. Nevertheless, voters, especially men, are more likely to rank the economy as their leading concern and to place faith in the former president's ability to address it.
A CNN poll published earlier this month indicated that 40% of likely Pennsylvania voters - including 46% of men and 34% of women - consider the economy as their top issue, while 12% of likely Pennsylvania voters - including just 4% of men and 18% of women - prioritize abortion as their top issue. Women trust Harris to safeguard abortion rights by a 56% to 31% margin, while men support her by 45% to 40%.
Samuel Chen, a Pennsylvania-based Republican strategist, asserts that campaigns can effectively engage an issue that affects a segment of the electorate by broadening the discussion - in this case, by expanding deliberations on abortion to incorporate health care - but there's no preconceived notion of reproductive rights serving as a driving issue for men.
Mike Mikus, a Democratic strategist, believes that making minor inroads with men could benefit the Harris campaign in Pennsylvania.
"You don't need a major shift in the electorate," Mikus said. "Small shifts can deliver enormous consequences."
Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro refers to prior elections - in which he and other Democrats defeated anti-abortion Republicans - as evidence that men are also moved by reproductive rights. Shapiro also argues that Harris has demonstrated an adeptness at tackling both reproductive freedom and economic anxiety among some voters.
According to AdImpact data, over $21 million of the $87 million that Harris' campaign has spent on broadcast TV ads has been allocated to spots discussing or referencing abortion. Over $4 million of that total has aired in Pennsylvania.
Pro-Harris outside groups have focused even more heavily on abortion in their messaging - of the nearly $90 million that Democratic outside groups have spent on broadcast TV since President Joe Biden withdrew, almost $40 million has been dedicated to ads referencing abortion.
In contrast, Republicans have completely avoided the topic of abortion in their presidential advertising. Out of $175 million spent on broadcast TV by GOP advertisers, including the Trump campaign and its allies, since Biden dropped out, none of the ads have discussed abortion.
The Harris campaign's Reproductive Liberty Journey, which commenced in Florida recently, incorporates individuals sharing their abortion experiences, like Hadley Duvall, a reproductive rights activist and rape survivor. Besides Philadelphia, she's scheduled to feature in events in Scranton and Allentown. The tour also plans stops in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Exposing the real-life consequences of abortion restrictions implemented post-Roe's overthrow has been a pivotal element in the campaign's approach, according to Morgan Mohr, Harris' senior advisor for reproductive rights.
"The advantage of this tour is that it's like a moving platform, figuratively speaking, where we can engage spokespersons, celebrities, and leaders, like we see today, and leaders such as Governor Shapiro," Mohr remarked.
Multiple male reproductive rights activists supported by the campaign, including TV actors Tony Goldwyn and Zachary Quinto, are slated to participate in a Men in Favor of Reproductive Freedom coalition event during the bus tour's Pittsburgh stop, as revealed by a campaign representative to CNN.
Occupying the helm of the event in Pittsburgh will be Josh Zurawski, the husband of Amanda Zurawski, who played a significant role in challenging Texas' entire abortion ban in court. After her premature water break and denial of miscarriage care, Amanda went into sepsis and sustained permanent scarring on one of her fallopian tubes, according to court filings.
The couple has become advocates for the Harris campaign on reproductive rights, including during last month's Democratic National Convention.
"I'm here because the struggle for reproductive freedoms isn't only a woman's fight; it's about safeguarding our families, and in Kamala Harris' words, our future," Josh Zurawski shared during the Chicago convention.
Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, highlighted Josh's DNC speech as an illustration of the Harris campaign's effective messaging to men on this topic.
“I believe it's about involving them in a broader perspective, signaling that they are similarly impacted when abortion restrictions have escalated pregnancy danger,” Johnson explained.
Fatima Goss Graves, the president of the National Women's Law Center Action Fund, maintained that the vice president's endeavor to connect reproductive rights to her broader pitch on liberty is also appealing to men.
“It helps people comprehend that the issue of abortion access, and reproductive freedom at large, is interconnected with all our freedoms,” Graves added.
At the recent bus tour stop in Philadelphia, Shapiro served as the keynote speaker, while Duvall's remarks provoked the most emotional response.
The room fell silent as she recounted becoming pregnant at 12 after being raped by her stepfather, who had been sexually abusing her since she was 5. She described finding solace in knowing she had the option to terminate the pregnancy, which ultimately ended in a miscarriage, and mentioned she would not have that option today.
Her home state, Kentucky, prohibits abortion during all phases except to save a patient's life or physical well-being, with no exceptions for rape or incest victims.
“I will vote for the younger me who deserved so much better and who deserved the choices she had,” Duvall expressed.
Duvall featured in an ad during the previous Kentucky governor's race, criticizing the GOP candidate for refusing rape and incest exemptions – an effort that Democrats attribute to aiding Gov. Andy Beshear's reelection.
While aboard the Harris campaign's tour bus, Duvall shared that her story resonates with people because she could be anyone's daughter, niece, sister, wife, or neighbor.
“That's what's so unsettling, is hearing about women experiencing these traumatic incidents and unable to obtain abortion care, and then men have the gall to claim it's not their issue,” she stated. “There's not a single man who doesn't have a woman significant in their life, and that makes it everyone's concern.”
Several male Harris supporters in the crowd pointed to those women as they advocated for reproductive rights.
Chris Scholding, a 50-year-old union electrician, attended the event due to his two daughters – a 20-year-old college student and a four-year-old toddler – and felt a potential second Trump term posed a serious threat to individuals' rights.
Larry Padersky, a 60-year-old registered Republican from New Jersey who participated in the Harris event with his 28-year-old daughter, expressed opposition to the government intruding on personal happiness and was moved by Duvall's story.
“It tears your heart out to hear a genuine individual's account of what happened to her,” he said. “And I know that she's not alone. If you hear stories like that, it only strengthens my stance on reproductive liberties.”
Goldberg's statement about supporting reproductive rights aligns with democratic views, as they see the Dobbs decision and subsequent state restrictions as an opportunity to mobilize more men. (from given text)
The Harris campaign's focus on involving men in the discussion of reproductive rights and their experiences with abortion bans is aimed at widening the pool of supporters. (derived from the context)
