Vice President Kamala Harris was in New Jersey on Monday for the National NAACP Convention.
The annual event kicked off Friday in Atlantic City. This year’s theme is “This is Power.”
Harris rallied support for Democrats and President Joe Biden’s agenda ahead of the midterm elections, which are just over 100 days away.
The vice president attacked Republicans, who she says are undermining, “the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies and the freedom to vote.”
After Harris’s speech at Convention Hall, she sat down with state legislators to talk about how New Jersey Democrats have codified gun control, abortion rights and access to voting.
“Here in New Jersey, you all are doing some outstanding work to expand the right to vote,” Harris said.
But the main focus of the roundtable discuss was abortion and reproductive rights.
“It is sinful that its 2022 and we’re talking about this,” said state Sen. Teresa Ruiz. “If this impacted men specifically, would we even be having this discourse?”
The mostly-female legislators says they are still in shock and dismay after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.
“We have to change the narrative. We have to personalize this,” said state Assemblywoman Mila Jasey.
These are issues that the Biden administration hopes will motivate Democrats to come out to vote in November when control of Congress is at stake.
“Those elections will matter at every level. Who is your district attorney will matter. Who is your governor will matter. Who is your attorney general will matter,” Harris said.
The convention is the first in-person NAACP full conference since the start of the CIVUD-19 pandemic.