The right to access abortion is a core issue for Democrats, and J.D. Vance is on the record supporting a national ban. The Ohio senator won’t be saying that anymore now that he’s Donald Trump’s running mate, but he’ll be reminded of that and other inconvenient truths by a practiced prosecutor, Vice President Kamala Harris, when they meet next month on the debate stage.
The vice-presidential debate is one of the few bright spots for Democrats, beset by infighting over whether to replace President Biden as their nominee. “Harris will take him to the cleaners,” says Elaine Kamarck with the Brookings Institution, who has done extensive research on the power of the abortion issue to drive votes. “One of her strengths is as a prosecutor, and you can see her taking Vance apart on the issue.”
There’s plenty to take apart in statements Vance has made and positions he has taken that make him a natural for the MAGA base. His selection as vice president received a muted reception at the first night of the GOP Convention in Milwaukee. A freshman senator just two years into his term who’s never been elected to anything else doesn’t have much of a calling card in an arena where Trump is king. But he brings a keen intellect and a fighting spirit to a ticket where Trump sees him as a legacy pick, cementing Trumpism into the future should they win in November.
