Harris brings new energy, doubles down on abortion rights

By Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday held her first campaign rally since becoming the likely Democratic presidential candidate to face Donald Trump in this year's election.

Harris' event, two days after President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her, showed how the Democrats' campaign is changing rapidly.

ABORTION RIGHTS

Harris got the biggest reaction from the crowd with remarks about abortion and women's rights, an early indication of how important it will be to her campaign and the election overall.

Many U.S. states have passed restrictive abortion laws in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that had made abortion a constitutional right.

Democrats already saw abortion rights as a winning issue in this campaign and Harris had led the charge from her position as Biden's running mate. Now that she is likely to be the Democratic presidential candidate, it becomes even more central to the campaign.

"We will stop Donald Trump's extreme abortion ban because we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have the government tell them what to do," Harris said to a roar from the crowd. "When Congress passes the law to restore reproductive freedoms as President of the United States, I will sign it."

'LOCK HIM UP'

Harris framed the Democratic argument against Trump around his character and his legal convictions, indicating that this will be a major campaign message.

She noted her past as a prosecutor and attorney general in her home state of California and encountering convicted felons, people who assaulted women and those who committed fraud.

"Hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type," Harris said as the crowd chanted "Lock him up."

AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE, UNIONS

Harris indicated that she would embrace, and maybe expand on, Biden's economic priorities and she ran through a progressive's wishlist of policies, including affordable healthcare and childcare, paid family leave, union membership protections and retirement benefits.

"We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead," she said.

To deliver on many of those, Harris would need the support of Congress, meaning Democratic control of one or both houses.

BEYONCE REPLACES TOM PETTY

With the Harris campaign comes a new energy level, crowd size and a new soundtrack. Gone was Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down," which Biden adopted in his last weeks as Democrats pressured him to get out of the race. Instead, Harris walked on to Beyonce's "Freedom."

Unlike the tiny, intimate Biden events that were carefully curated, Harris drew a crowd of thousands who danced, cheered and waived "Kamala" signs.

A campaign source said Harris's team had been inundated with RSVPs so they switched to a larger venue late in the day on Monday.

THANKS TO BIDEN AND UNITY

Harris began by expressing thanks to Biden to hearty applause, and vowed to unite the party, which has been divided most recently over Biden's refusal for weeks to step aside as concerns mounted over his health and ability to beat Trump.

"It has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as vice president to our president, Joe Biden," she said, lauding Biden's "legacy of accomplishment over his entire career.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)