Jill Biden returning to Pittsburgh to campaign for abortion rights

First lady Jill Biden is returning to Pittsburgh on Sunday in an effort to remind voters that the Biden administration is seeking to protect their abortion rights.

Biden will visit Pittsburgh on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, according to the campaign.

A specific time and place has yet to be announced.

The first lady and the Biden campaign are hoping to use the anniversary of Roe being struck down to motivate President Joe Biden’s base ahead of the first presidential debate June 27.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has taken credit for appointing judges who overturned abortion rights.

“After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade,” Trump posted on social media in May.

The Biden campaign said it is “using this moment to make clear that President Biden and the Biden-Harris campaign will hold Donald Trump accountable for overturning Roe and for his and his MAGA Republican allies’ plans to go even further by banning abortion nationwide if he’s elected.”

President Biden has called on Congress to help him achieve his 2020 campaign promise to codify Roe v. Wade into law, and establish abortion rights across the country. Many states, including Ohio and West Virginia, have banned abortions after Roe was struck down.

The first lady has visited Pittsburgh frequently over the years to boost the efforts of her husband. In 2023, she lauded workplace development efforts at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Earlier this month, she spoke about LGBTQ rights at Pittsburgh’s Pride festival.

Pennsylvania is a key swing state, and Biden has suffered from low approval ratings in the Keystone State for much of his presidency. He is stuck in a tight contest with Trump: A Marist College poll from early June showed Trump leading Biden 47% to 45% among Pennsylvania voters.

The first lady’s visit comes the same day as another member of the Biden-Harris administration will be in Pittsburgh. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, will be in Pittsburgh on Sunday to deliver remarks at the groundbreaking of the Tree of Life memorial to victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.