Why Vice President Harris is going to Wisconsin today to talk about abortion

Vice President Harris is kicking off a tour on Monday — the 51st anniversary of landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade — to draw attention to new restrictions on abortion, an issue that Democrats hope will fire up voters for the presidential election in November.

Harris plans to hit about five places during the next two months, including states that have enshrined protections for abortion since the Supreme Court rolled back abortion rights in 2022, states that have restricted access, and states that have threatened to restrict access.

"She is going to connect the dots for people," a White House official told NPR, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the tour. "She is going to make a clear connection between Roe being overturned, these extreme bans being put into effect by extremists across the country, and what harm those bans have caused for women."

Since the court's Dobbs decision ended Roe, voters have turned out in record numbers in states like Michigan and Kansas to support measures to protect reproductive rights with new laws. It's that energy that Harris is hoping to tap into as she reaches out to voters ahead of the election this year — an election where swing states like Arizona and Nevada may also have ballot initiatives on abortion rights.

The first stop will be in Waukesha County

The vice president's team picked Wisconsin's Waukesha County to launch the tour. The politically important state illustrates how people's lives were affected when Roe was struck down.

Wisconsin effectively banned abortion, reverting to a law written in 1849. For about 15 months, there were no legal abortions available in the state.

Wisconsin is also a key swing state that Democrats want to win in November. Former President