Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly trust Kamala Harris more than Donald Trump on abortion, Inquirer/NYT/Siena poll finds

As Vice President Kamala Harris works to build a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans, abortion remains her strongest issue among Pennsylvania voters.

A poll from The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, and Siena College found Harris held a 25-point lead on Trump on the issue with 59% of likely voters, slightly higher than President Joe Biden’s lead on the issue in April.

Harris has centered reproductive rights as one of the themes of her campaign as former President Donald Trump has struggled to find a consistent message on the issue.

Even before Biden dropped out of the presidential race, Harris was a key messenger for Democrats on reproductive rights. She proved her strength discussing the issue during her debate against Trump last week. The poll was conducted Sept. 11 to 16, the six days that immediately followed the debate.

The crucial Philly suburbs were especially supportive of Harris on abortion issues as 72% of likely voters in the counties said she was better equipped to handle the issue. The collar counties helped deliver Biden’s victory in the state in 2020 and could again determine the outcome this fall.

Discussing abortion while debating Trump in Philadelphia last week Harris focused on the stories of women denied medical care because of state restrictions on the procedure. She also referenced stories of young victims of rape and incest who had to cross state lines to obtain abortion care.

“The government, and Donald Trump, certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” Harris said.

That message resonated.

“I’m Catholic, so I can’t say I would actually have an abortion, but I think everybody should have that choice. And not have to be in fear. Or risk their life to do it,” said Jessica Storment, a 27-year-old from Philadelphia who plans to vote for Harris.

Trump, who appointed three of the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, insisted he did not support federal restrictions on abortion and argued the Dobbs decision rightly returned the issue to states. However, he would not say if he would veto a federal ban on abortion if Congress sent one to his desk.

He sought to paint Harris as extreme, claiming she supports abortions very late in pregnancy — which are extremely rare. Harris has said she supports codifying the abortion protections within Roe v. Wade, which would protect access to abortion until fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy.

“They’re radical, the Democrats are radical in that,” he said.

Despite Trump’s claims to the contrary, the poll found that 49% of Pennsylvanians, including 71% of Philadelphia respondents, believed that Trump would try to pass national restrictions on abortion if elected.

Even supporters of Trump told pollsters they trusted Harris more on abortion.

“When it comes to ... women’s ... reproductive health rights, that’s the big thing for me. Because you know, things happen whether you plan it or not,” said Kylie Dickens, a 25-year-old from West Grove who plans to vote for Trump. “So, you know, I get definitely nervous on that aspect of him going into office. I don’t agree with him on that sense.”

A strong majority of likely voters in Pennsylvania support legal access to abortion with 66% of respondents saying abortion should be always or mostly legal. Only 26% said it should be always or mostly illegal.

Reproductive rights will be a key motivating issue for Democrats in November up and down the ballot.

In the Pennsylvania Senate race Republican Dave McCormick has sought to pivot away from abortion, instead talking about reproductive rights from a lens of broadening access to fertility treatment.

Still, 49% of respondents said they trusted the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Bob Casey — 19 percentage points higher than the number who trusted McCormick on the issue.