How Harris May Take the Fight to Trump on Abortion at the Debate

As Kamala Harris, Donald J. Trump and their aides scheme out their strategies for this week’s much-anticipated debate, one big question is how the two candidates will approach a great strength for Democrats and a major weakness for Republicans: abortion rights.

Ms. Harris has made the issue a guiding light, and it has benefited her party at the polls since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Mr. Trump, who for years took credit for that decision, has tried to dodge its political blowback, making contradictory statements meant to help him appeal to voters turned off by total or near-total abortion bans in many Republican states.

The candidates are all but certain to clash over abortion on Tuesday at the debate, the first time that they will directly confront each other and contrast their visions for the reproductive future of America.

A rising share of voters in battleground states, especially women, say that abortion will be critical to their decision in November, according to recent New York Times/Siena College polls. Roughly as many voters list abortion as their top issue as those who chose immigration, though the economy remains the leading priority for Americans. For women under 45, abortion ranks as the most pressing concern. And those surveys also found that more voters said they trusted Ms. Harris over Mr. Trump on abortion.

Ms. Harris is expected to lean into that advantage during the debate, drawing attention to Mr. Trump’s role in appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who were instrumental in eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion.

In an effort to mobilize the Democratic base and sway some moderate Republican women and independents, the vice president has argued pointedly that the