At New Mexico event, Harris says 'freedom and liberty' at stake in abortion fight

Oct. 26—ALBUQUERQUE — Vice President Kamala Harris flew into New Mexico on Tuesday to campaign for Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and praise what she called the state's "safe haven" status for abortion rights.

"This is about freedom and liberty, fundamental principles upon which our country was founded, that are being attacked right now, so there's a lot at stake on this issue," Harris told a friendly crowd of about 300 during a moderated discussion on protecting reproductive rights.

The vice president's visit, which included a private fundraiser before the discussion, comes two weeks before Election Day amid new polling that shows the hard-hitting race between Lujan Grisham and her Republican challenger, former TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti, tightening.

In a media briefing afterward, Lujan Grisham said she would "fight hard" until the polls close at 7 p.m. Nov. 8.

"I feel very confident in my campaign and the issues that we stand for, in the demonstrated efforts that have made a difference across the state, and I feel confident that we will prevail. With that said, until the last vote is cast, I will work incredibly hard," the governor said.

Lujan Grisham, a staunch abortion rights advocate, has made protecting access to the procedure a pillar of her campaign. She has said a woman's right to choose is on the ballot in November and accused her Republican challenger of pushing a full abortion ban if elected. It's a charge he has denied.

Asked whether the abortion issue would propel her to victory, Lujan Grisham said she didn't think anyone knows.

"But do I think women and their families in New Mexico are concerned about choice and bodily autonomy? Yes, I think they are," she said.

Steve Pearce, chairman of the state GOP, accused the governor of being a single-issue candidate.

"Abortion is the only issue they can talk about," he said. "The progressive governor refuses to address the biggest problems facing New Mexico, like crime, education, inflation and border security."

Pearce also called Harris' visit "political theater" as the gap between Lujan Grisham and Ronchetti is narrowing.

During the moderated discussion at the University of New Mexico, a mobile billboard dispatched by the Ronchetti campaign circled the area outside the event hall in an attempt to divert attention to a sexual harassment complaint lodged against the governor by James Hallinan, her spokesman during her first campaign for governor.

Hallinan, who accused the governor of grabbing his crotch, received a $150,000 settlement after going public with the accusation.

The billboard included a headline from the New York Post that read, "Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan pays $150K to settle crotch grab claim."

In a statement, Ronchetti's communications director lambasted the vice president.

"Kamala Harris and her DC policies are failing New Mexicans," Ryan Sabel wrote. "We feel it every day in higher prices and soft on crime policies. It comes as a surprise to no one that Harris is here today to bail out her friend, the governor who pursues the same policies, leaving New Mexicans broke and scared."

Lujan Grisham called Harris, a former U.S. senator and the nation's first female vice president, an "incredible champion."

Harris, who was greeted with applause and a standing ovation when she took the stage, said she's known Lujan Grisham for years.

"I have seen her when the cameras are on and when the cameras are off, and she is always fighting for the people of New Mexico," she told the audience, which included U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and numerous Democratic state lawmakers.

From the get-go, Harris decried the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion and left the decision up to states.

"What we are seeing around the country are laws that are being proposed and passed that would criminalize — criminalize — health care providers, doctors, nurses ... literally, with provisions for jail sentences," she said. "Think about that. Laws that are being proposed that would punish women who dare to exercise self-determination and make decisions about what they know to be in their best self-interest because apparently there are some, I call them extremist so-called leaders, who have decided they're in a better position than she is to make decisions about what's in her best interest. How dare they? How dare they?"

Harris said she's been traveling the country and convening meetings with state lawmakers and others in both red and blue states to talk about protecting reproductive rights.

"I want to recognize ... the leadership here in New Mexico," she said. "This is a safe haven for the surrounding states. You know, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma."

In her closing remarks, Harris said the moderated discussion was not political, "but elections matter." She added democracy was at stake.

"When a democracy is intact, it's extremely strong in terms of what it does to protect and defend individual rights and freedoms. It is also extremely fragile. It will only be as strong as our willingness to fight for it," she said, generating applause.

In the briefing with reporters, Lujan Grisham said the issues of reproductive rights and the fragility of democracy are intertwined.

"Before we lost him, I got to have a one-on-one meeting with the president of Israel, Shimon Peres," she said. "He made it really clear that we won't have widespread democracy in the Middle East because women don't have equal rights. If women don't have equal rights, you cannot have a democracy."

Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.