A look at Vice President Kamala Harris’s schedule in Florida

Vice President Kamala Harris appears set to become the Democratic Party’s favorite for the November election after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race on Sunday.

Harris, who is from California, has few ties to Florida. But she has repeatedly waded into the state’s politics, sometimes to condemn Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policies on education and abortion.

Harris has visited Florida 12 times as vice president. A planned 13th visit, in which Harris was to speak to Republican women in Palm Beach about abortion, was canceled this month after a gunman shot former President Donald Trump.

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Harris’ visits offer insight into the likely focus of her campaign in the coming months as it relates to Florida, a state that is increasingly turning red.

These are the key themes and messages Harris is focusing on in Florida.

Abortion

Abortion has become a cornerstone of the Democrats’ 2024 campaign strategy, with the campaign enlisting Harris as a messenger at events across the country, including in Florida.

In 2022, the summer the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which provided federal protections for abortions, Harris convened a meeting of Florida Democratic state lawmakers to discuss abortion access. She subsequently criticized the state’s then-15-week abortion ban during a speech at the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority conference in Orlando.

In January 2023, Harris marked the 50th anniversary of Roe with a speech in Tallahassee in which she said abortion restrictions like Florida’s were designed by “extremists.” Later that year, Harris criticized Florida’s abortion restrictions during a September visit to Florida International University.

And in May of this year, Harris delivered a speech in Jacksonville on the day Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect. In that speech, Harris blamed Trump for Florida’s abortion restrictions. Trump appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Removing that protection created the opportunity for legislatures like Florida’s to impose severe restrictions on the process.

Harris is unlikely to stop spreading abortion messages anytime soon. In November, Florida and at least four other states will have questions about abortion on ballots.

Gun violence

In March, Harris visited the Parkland school building where a gunman killed 17 people in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. The father of a 14-year-old girl killed in the shooting accompanied Harris on the tour.

Harris made the stop as part of her role overseeing the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. During her visit, she also announced a new initiative that would support the use of red flag laws.

Harris and the Biden administration have hoped that a focus on tackling gun violence will engage and motivate young people. She repeatedly raised gun violence during her 2023 tour of college campuses.

Education

Harris has come into direct conflict with the DeSantis administration over education standards in the state when it comes to teaching black history.

During a speech Harris gave in Jacksonville last year, she accused Florida Republicans of trying to “replace history with lies.” Her speech came two days after the State Board of Education approved new standards for teaching black history, including teaching “how slaves developed skills that in some cases could be applied to their personal advantage.”

Harris’ speech criticized that instruction, saying Florida leaders were feeding propaganda to children. DeSantis hit back, accusing Harris of trying to teach children “indoctrinating” and “sexualized topics.”

Harris also touched on about other Republican-led changes to Florida’s education system. He said teachers were doing their jobs out of fear and books were being taken off the shelves.

Harris gave a similar speech in Orlando the following week.

Climate change

Harris visited Miami to discuss climate change three times. In 2022, she visited to promote $50 million that would be used to protect low-lying neighborhoods from storm surges.

In Last March, she attended a climate change conference with singer Gloria Estefan, where Harris touted the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax breaks for electric vehicles and money for renewable energy sources.

A month later, Harris returned to South Florida after Fort Lauderdale suffered severe flooding to announce that millions of federal dollars were being spent on projects across the country aimed at building resilience to rising sea levels. Florida would get about $78 million.

Some of that money went to projects to restore mangrove forests in Miami, plant lab-grown coral in the Florida Keys and add oyster reefs to the Gulf of Mexico.