Harris’ surprising decision to focus her campaign on Republican states to defend abortion

While Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is losing ground in swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina, her campaign is already thinking about targeting Republican states to champion abortion ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The decision comes as a surprise, especially after former President Donald Trump took the lead in the major polling patterns and recovered ground in several swing states, putting himself as a slight favorite two weeks before the election.

According to Axios, Harris and some of her campaign's top surrogates, such as running mate Tim Walz, are planning stops in Texas, Kentucky and Florida, all sharply red states.

Axios explained that while none of these states are in contention, "the Harris campaign is using these detours to spotlight one of Democrats' strongest issue: abortion rights."

One of the events scheduled by the Harris campaign is a campaign rally on Friday in Houston. There, according to the report, the Democrat will be accompanied by women who were allegedly harmed by abortion restrictions in Texas.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will address a campaign reception Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky, "Gov. Tim Walz will speak Wednesday at a campaign reception in Louisville, Kentucky, where Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won re-election last year in a race dominated by abortion rights," Axios reported.

Also, Doug Emhoff, Harris' husband, will deliver a speech Wednesday at a Get Out the Vote rally in Florida.

Harris' senior adviser, David Plouffe, said the idea of moving away from swing states is because they believe the content of speeches delivered on abortion can boost the Democratic vice president in swing states.

"We're diverting out of the battlegrounds because we think it'll help us in battlegrounds," Plouffe said.

In the Sunshine State, Democrats hope a statewide referendum on abortion will help boost voter turnout on Nov. 5.

However, formerly an iconic swing state, Florida looks set to go red again in November.

While Harris' strategy may be unexpected, former President Trump has also campaigned in New York, California and Colorado, markedly blue states.

The Republican candidate, while failing to shift the electoral needle with his campaign events in these states, at least achieved a positive news cycle when he went to historic Democratic locations. Harris appears to want to replicate this strategy.