Vice President Kamala Harris warned college students Thursday there is an “intentional, full-on attack” against hard-won freedoms in America, hoping to energize young voters who fueled her win with President Biden in 2020 and could determine if they are reelected.
Ms. Harris said abortion access is under threat following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and that older lawmakers “don’t get it” when it comes to gun violence, pointing to the large number of young students who must participate in active-shooter drills.
“I’m talking about the freedom to make decisions about your own body and the choices you will make about your future connected with that. The freedom to vote. The freedom to be and love who you love, the freedom to be free from gun violence and the fear of that,” Ms. Harris said at Hampton University, a historically Black college in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.
Ms. Harris visited the college to kick off a “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour that will reach about a dozen universities in politically competitive states.
“When I see you I know the future of our country is bright and full of promise,” Ms. Harris told about 150 students in an overflow area outside the auditorium.
Ms. Harris catered to the crowd inside by revealing that the head of her Secret Service detail is a Hampton graduate, drawing loud cheers.
The Biden-Harris ticket won Virginia by 10 points in 2020 but the state has a Republican governor and is viewed as politically competitive.
Ms. Harris said the administration is keenly aware of “climate anxiety” among young people and concerns about equitable racial treatment, pointing to big-dollar investments in green projects and efforts to replace lead pipes in minority communities.
She repeated demands for a ban on military-style, or “assault,” weapons and said Mr. Biden would sign a bill preserving a nationwide right to abortion if he wins a second term and has enough votes in Congress.
And she excoriated Republicans who’ve pushed abortion limits, saying the same lawmakers haven’t shown an interest in addressing maternal mortality.
Ms. Harris is trying to create momentum for a 2024 campaign that is shaping into a rematch with former President Donald Trump, and a closer one than Democrats would like.
The president is weighed down by economic worries and angst about Mr. Biden’s age, at 80.
The situation is raising speculation among columnists and pundits that Mr. Biden could drop out late or switch out his running mate. Ms. Harris has been dogged by low approval ratings that sit around 40%.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week gave a not-so-definitive answer when pressed if Ms. Harris is the best running mate for Mr. Biden in 2024.
“He thinks so, and that’s what matters,” she told “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN.
Mrs. Pelosi, a California Democrat who recently said she would run for reelection, swiftly pivoted to praising Ms. Harris.
“She’s very politically astute. I don’t think people give her enough credit,” she said. “She’s, of course, values-based, consistent with the president’s values and the rest.”
Mrs. Pelosi said Ms. Harris has represented the country well “at home and abroad.”
Ms. Harris fielded questions from the crowd at Hampton University that centered on climate, gun violence and student-loan forgiveness.
A plan to wipe away thousands of dollars in student loan debt for each borrower ran into trouble in Congress and the courts, so Mr. Biden introduced the SAVE income-driven plan that calculates loan payments based on a borrower’s income and family size and forgives remaining balances after a certain number of years.
Ms. Harris promoted the plan and said Washington should “keep fighting and pushing” to allow for direct student-loan forgiveness.
The vice president said the Biden administration is in a position to help students only because young people turned out in 2020.
“It is because you voted,” she said, “that Joe Biden is president and I’m vice president of the United States.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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