Minnesota Women Politicians Line Up to Support Kamala Harris as Presidential Candidate

---

---

U.S. Senator Tina Smith kicked off comments at a Women Winning press conference last week in support of Kamala Harris as Presidential candidate.

“With this action, we affirm our unwavering commitment to reproductive freedom, because we understand that the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies and our own lives is fundamental to our liberty and to our equality. … Donald Trump bragged about overturning Roe versus Wade. He’s the one who appointed the justices who ended versus Wade. In Project 2025, as [Women Winning director Nevada Littlewolf] said, this is the blueprint for a potential future Trump administration and it lays out in black and white their plans to impose a national ban on medication abortion and potentially all abortion.”

“When Vice President Harris visited our Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic recently, this was personal to me — this is the Planned Parenthood clinic that I worked at,” Smith continued. “Every day, I watched people walk through the doors of that clinic, ready to make the best decision for themselves and their own families in their own bodies and their own lives. She was the first vice president to ever visit an abortion clinic. This is the reality that people understand in this country — if you don’t control your reproductive life, you don’t control anything. When you have that control, then you can do everything that you dream up, with your job, with your education, with your family. That is the freedom that every single person in this country deserves.”

Kelly Morrison, an ob/gyn, is running for congressional District 3 [a seat held by exiting Dean Phillips], having served since 2019 in the Minnesota State legislature as both representative and senator. She said: “I spent most of my career as a doctor, not a politician. I’m an ob/gyn. I practiced for more than 20 years. I know how important it is that women and not politicians are able to make their own health care decisions. I know how important it is that we have leaders who stand up for reproductive rights. Trump recently said that if he were elected, states could monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute women and doctors for performing abortions. He said he’s open to restrictions on birth control. His running mate, JD Vance, made fun of ‘childless cat ladies,’ and says they have less of a stake in our country because they don’t have children. As an ob/gyn, I talked to women who made the choice not to have children. I also talked to women who want to have children, who struggle to get pregnant, and the pain and heartbreak is real; to imply that they are somehow less worthy in our country is cruel and disgraceful.”

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: “It’s not easy to run against misogyny and racism and bigotry. But if there’s anyone who can overcome that hate, with love and our fight for freedom, it is Vice President Kamala Harris. … Having women in leadership isn’t cosmetic, it is essential. … As the governor has said, Donald Trump and JD Vance want to take your books away. They want to be in your exam room. And these are weird ideas. And I will go even further to say that they are and will remain on the wrong side of history. They are not for freedom, and they are not interested in leading a country where we have rights.”

Minnesota Rep. Esther Agbaje: “We need women who get it about reproductive justice at every level of government. And in Minnesota, we have that. Across the country, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. Black Minnesotans represent 13 percent of the birthing population but make up 23 percent of the pregnancy-associated deaths. In Minnesota, we passed the Protect Reproductive Options Act legislation where we enshrined abortion and reproductive care as fundamental rights. We look forward to having a national law with those similar protections when we elect Kamala Harris. In addition to reproductive rights, the Vice President has been strong on gun violence prevention and voting rights.”

Where Might the Pushback Be From Voters?

A recent survey of just more than 1,000 people, conducted by a career-oriented polling company, said that 5 in 6 people surveyed said they trusted a woman to be President. The top reasons people cited for believing a woman would not be capable of being president are: women are not taken seriously (50 percent, mostly cited by women), are too emotional (48 percent, mostly cited by men), face bias and discrimination (35 percent), are not assertive enough (29 percent), and the job is too stressful for a woman (28 percent).

Although the sample size was small, the general reasons given for supporting male leadership: Men are more likely than women to be seen as easier to take seriously (37% vs. 11% respectively), experienced (34% vs. 5%), confident (36% vs. 13%), better at handling conflicts (32% vs. 21%), objective (28% vs. 16%), and professional (23% vs. 15%). They are also more likely to be viewed as capable of providing clearer instructions (24% vs. 22%) and reliable (22% vs. 19%).

Women, on the other hand, are more likely than men to be seen as supportive (43% vs. 12%), better at communicating (30% vs. 21%), and approachable (36% vs. 20%).

 

 

Related Stories

Gov. Tim Walz as potential running mate reflects a more complicated American values system than we give ourselves credit for, a commentary from Minnesota Reformer.