Harris Makes Her Play for Suburban Women Voters

Monday’s unlikely Kamala Harris–Liz Cheney “Blue Wall” tour, to three suburban counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, made some heads explode on the right and the left.

“Kamala Harris Town Hall With Liz Cheney Blows Up on yhe Launch Pad,” blared a Red State headline. On social media, progressive and other critics of US support for Israel’s merciless attack on Gaza were horrified to see Harris campaigning with “war hawk” Cheney. 

“Michigan: Key swing state, highest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation. Harris: Let’s campaign with Liz Cheney!” tweeted The Hill’s Niall Stanage.

My friend and colleague John Nichols wrote in The Nation: “If Harris wants to win Wisconsin, she should stop talking about, and appearing with, the Cheneys, and start talking up the support she has received from Barack Obama.”

I would argue that Harris can do both, already has, and will continue to. In fact, her vice-presidential nominee, Tim Walz, will appear with Obama in Madison on Tuesday. Then Harris and Obama will appear in Detroit—reportedly introduced by Eminem. The pair will be in Georgia on Thursday. And Michelle Obama will join Harris in Michigan on Saturday. I’d love Harris and both Obamas to go to Milwaukee before November 5. We’ll see.

Importantly, Harris has made no known policy concessions to win Cheney’s support. Indeed, the only big news from the town halls came when Cheney, a staunch abortion opponent, agreed with Harris that since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, states have gone too far with abortion bans and restrictions that harm women.

“I think there are many of us around the country who have been pro-life, but who have watched what’s going on in our states since the Dobbs decision, and have watched state legislatures put in place laws that are resulting in women not getting the care they need,” she said. “This is not an issue that we’re seeing break down across party lines,” Cheney continued. “In places like Texas, for example, the attorney general is suing to get access to women’s medical records. That’s not sustainable for us as a country, and it has to change.”

Cheney didn’t say what changes to policy she would support, but her remarks were… remarkable. She hailed the Dobbs decision when it came down in June of 2022, welcoming it for returning the issue to the states. While the former Wyoming congresswoman got immediate flak from the right for changing her stance, Cheney doubled down in the tour’s third stop, in Waukesha County: “It’s crucially important for us to find ways to have the federal government play a role and protect women from some of the worst harms that we’re seeing.” Clearly, she no longer believes that the states should control the issue.

National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke was apoplectic: “I’m sorry, but if your preference for/against a politician also leads you to change your mind on abortion or school choice or taxes or whatever, then you have completely, disastrously, categorically misunderstood why we have politicians and what their role is,” Cooke tweeted, noting her past support for bills that declared that life began at the “moment of conception.”

Repeatedly asked whether other prominent Never Trump Republicans—looking at you, Mitt Romney—might jump off the fence and endorse Harris, Cheney said yes, but added, “I certainly have many Republicans who will say to me, ‘I can’t be public.’ They do worry about a whole range of things, including violence, but they’ll do the right thing. And I would just remind people, if you’re at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody.” Millions of Republicans, she predicted, would do exactly that.