Even before President Biden's withdrawal opened the door to the White House race, US Vice President Kamala Harris established herself as a staunch defender of abortion rights, a stance that could now prove decisive come November.
"We will end Donald Trump's extremism to ban abortion because we know that women should make the decisions they want about their bodies, without the government having a say!" the now possible Democratic Party candidate said at a campaign rally earlier this week.
Two years after the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, formed by the former Republican president's recent appointments, ended federal protection of abortion rights, the candidacy of a sincere activist for the cause could mobilize progressive voters in favor of the Democrats, making a difference in what promises to be a close race.
This is a long-standing battle for Ms. Harris: while serving on the California Attorney General's Office, she fought the deceptive practices of anti-abortion activists. And as a senator, she was highly critical of Judge Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing before his appointment to the Supreme Court.
This sets him apart from Joe Biden, who has always been cautious on the subject, regularly recalling his Catholic upbringing to justify his embarrassment on the subject.
In his State of the Union address to Congress earlier this year, Biden deviated from his notes, preferring the terms "reproductive rights" or "freedom of choice" rather than "abortion."
– “She knows what she’s talking about” –
When he entered the Senate in 1973, Joe Biden felt that the Supreme Court had "gone too far" in ruling in favor of federal protection of the right to abortion, in the famous "Roe v. Wade" decision, and he still described the medical procedure as being "always a tragedy" and "not necessarily a choice and a right" in 2006.
Although his position has evolved since then, abortion advocates have always considered the American president reluctant to fully embrace their cause.
"What makes Ms. Harris dangerous for Donald Trump on the issue of abortion is that, unlike him, she knows what she's talking about and can channel the anger of voters," feminist author Jessica Valenti told AFP.
"I don't think people clearly understand how angry women were when Roe was overturned. And Ms. Harris has the opportunity to capitalize on that," she added.
On the specific issue of abortion, Kamala Harris has a 12-point lead over Mr. Trump, according to a YouGov poll conducted this week, a margin well above the 5 points Joe Biden had at the beginning of July.
Although Ms. Harris has not yet been formally nominated, the pro-abortion group "Reproductive Freedom for All" has fully committed to her side, stating in a statement, through its leader Mini Timmaraju, that "no one has fought harder to guarantee the right and access to abortion" than Ms. Harris, "we are proud to support her."
– “Grace period” –
On the Republican side, vice presidential candidate JD Vance has clearly stated his desire to "nationally ban" abortion, while Donald Trump is trying to have it both ways.
"He is radical, he personifies Republican extremism on abortion," says Ms. Valenti.
"Having Mr. Vance on his side will complicate things for Donald Trump if he wants to present himself as a moderate on the issue," said Marc Trussler, a political science researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to him, "Ms. Harris's message is clearly getting through better" than Joe Biden's.
However, it is too early to know whether the issue, which has given local victories to the Democrats, can influence the election, Mr. Trussler said.
"We are in the grace period of Ms. Harris's candidacy," he stressed, recalling that she has not yet had to position herself on divisive issues within her own party, such as the conflict in Gaza or reform of the American penal system.
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