'Women put Joe Biden in the White House': Takeaways from First lady Jill Biden's visit to Waukesha

WAUKESHA — First Lady Jill Biden spoke to a crowd of about 200 women voters in Waukesha on Sunday, continuing Democrats' message that abortion and healthcare access are at stake in the 2024 presidential election.

Biden made Wisconsin the final stop on a weekend tour of other critical battleground states — Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. The first lady is leading the "Women for Biden-Harris" initiative in 2024, an effort to mobilize women voters for the Democratic presidential ticket this year.

The first lady targeted former President Donald Trump, saying he is considering a national abortion ban and is taking credit for enabling state bans to go into effect. While providers like Planned Parenthood are currently offering abortions in Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court appears poised to determine access in the state.

"We are the first generation ... in half a century to give our daughters a country with fewer rights than we all had," Biden said. "Women put Joe Biden in the White House and women are going to do it again."

The latest Marquette University Law School poll of registered women voters in Wisconsin showed 45% would vote for Biden if the election were held that day, and 38% would vote for Trump. Ten percent would vote for someone else, and 6% wouldn't vote.

More: Joe Biden, Donald Trump deadlocked in new Marquette Poll of Wisconsin voters

Visit is first since Baldwin has an announced Republican challenger

The first lady's remarks in Waukesha mark the administration's first visit since Eric Hovde formally launched his bid for U.S. Senate. Hovde has the backing of national Republicans in his challenge to Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

"We have our work cut out for us, if we're going to defeat him and hold onto the seat. The stakes of our fight are higher than ever," Baldwin said at the event. "We have to fight for our right to reproductive freedom, a fight that continues to this day."

Democrats have taken aim at Hovde's previous comments that he was "totally opposed" to abortion, though he says he now supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and thinks voters should decide the issue. He also confirmed that he supports access to IVF and fertility treatments.

Abortion remains politically salient for Democrats in Wisconsin who have seen increased voter mobilization over the issue in statewide races for governor and state Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

More: Could the IVF turmoil in Alabama happen in Wisconsin? Here's why it's unlikely.

First lady's visit to Waukesha shows Democrats' growing focus on the suburb

Biden delivered her remarks at the Waukesha Expo Center, where the audience included many mothers, including one with a ten-day-old newborn. Both Biden and Baldwin highlighted the work of women in volunteering and mobilizing other voters.

The first lady's visit to Waukesha represents a growing push among Democrats to engage with the traditionally Republican county. In 2020, former President Donald Trump won the county with nearly 60% of the vote. But the party's margins in the county have dropped over time.

More: Gilbert: What 30 years of voting history tells us about Wisconsin's shifting suburban vote

In January, Vice President Kamala Harris rallied voters in Big Bend around abortion. Baldwin also met with Waukesha-area moms while campaigning for reelection and answered questions about family finances, public school teachers and child care access.

A handful of protesters called for ceasefire at stop in Bay View

Biden made two brief stops after delivering her remarks, including at Rooted MKE, a Black-woman owned children's bookstore.

She also stopped at the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County headquarters in Bay View, where crowds welcomed her to the neighborhood. When she departed, three or four protestors on one corner called for a ceasefire in Gaza, though disruptions were limited.

A day before Biden's visit, the Coalition for Justice in Palestine held a rally in Milwaukee urging voters to avoid casting ballots for both Biden and Trump because of their positions on the conflict in the Middle East.

Republicans respond by criticizing president's age

In a statement responding to the first lady's visit, Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming took aim at the president's age and memory.

"For the second time since the Hur Report’s release last month, the White House is sending the First Lady instead of the President to make the case for his abysmal record. This marks the latest desperate attempt by Democrats to cover for a tired presidency and its failing policies. And unlike Joe Biden, Wisconsinites won’t forget it," Schimming said.

The president's last trip to the state was in late January, when he visited Superior. The report Schimming refers to was released in early February. It portrayed Biden as an elderly man with "diminished capacities," including memory loss, giving critics fresh evidence to argue the 81-year-old president isn't up to serving a second term.

The first lady's visit on Sunday comes ahead of another administration visit this week. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to travel to Madison on Wednesday to highlight the administration's efforts to promote union job growth and apprenticeship programs.

USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jill Biden rallies voters in Waukesha around abortion, health care access