ISABELLE MULLEN: Why some see a pro-choice vote as a luxury they can’t afford

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both trying to make up ground in areas where their opponent is perceived to be doing a better job.

Harris is attempting to present a solid plan for the economy.

Trump is trying to win over new female voters.

In this neck-and-neck race, Trump needs to change the abortion narrative quickly.

But at 78 years old, it seems this old dog is out of new tricks.

At a rally in Pennsylvania last week, Trump spoke directly to women.

“As president, I have to be your protector … you will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared … women will be happy, healthy, confident and free.”

It’s a speech directed at women, but really, it appeals to insecure and disenchanted men.

Men who may feel that the world is too “woke”, too politically correct, and too different from a patriarchal worldview they enjoy.

Despite receiving different advice from parts of the Republican party, Trump has leaned into an old school approach.

Telling women, “You will no longer be thinking about abortion,” insisting it will be left up to the states.

If you follow this narrative, women will be empowered, not by themselves, but by Trump.

Comments like this highlight the gender gap in this race to the White House.

Donald Trump is up 9 points with men, leading Harris 52 per cent to 43 per cent.

Trump is busy portraying himself as the “saviour” enforcing the idea that the government should have control and power over women’s reproductive rights.

The polls reflect this.

In a new CNN poll of women, Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump 53 per cent to 43 per cent as preferred president.

But the abortion issue is unlikely to be a knockout blow for Harris.

Single-issue voters who would vote for Harris solely because of the issue of abortion are not the majority.

They are a privileged group.

Their lives are pretty good, and without systemic economic issues or overwhelming concerns about immigration, they have the freedom to vote based on a moral judgement.

Not everyone is in that position, and Trump knows that.

There are 37.9 million Americans (11.5 per cent of the population) who are living in poverty.

Another 40 million families (29 per cent) are living just about the poverty line and are considered “ALICE” — “asset limited, income constrained and employed”.

For many people, Trump is seen as a safer choice.

They may not agree with him on abortion, but they have bigger problems.

His economic management is a key pillar of his campaign.

The US economy bounced back strongly after the initial stages of the pandemic under Trump.

Inflation climbed steadily for the first two years Joe Biden was in office, hitting a peak of 9.1 per cent in June 2022. Inflation on groceries reached a peak of 13.5 per cent in the year to August 2022.

Higher prices have been blamed on external issues such as global supply chain delays created by the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

But unfortunately for the Democrats, poor economic management is a stigma they are struggling to get away from.

Kamala Harris announced she was a “capitalist” last week, saying she will fight for middle class people.

She’s trying to get away from the image Trump is trying to create of her as a far left radical.

The Republicans insist “Comrade Kamala” is a communist.

Trump is capitalising on genuine fears of repression that some Latino voters have after fleeing countries including Venezuela and Cuba.

There are more than 36 million Latino voters in the United States — almost 15 per cent of the US electorate.

“Comrade Kamala” is misinformation, but it hits a nerve.

Abortion might be the key moral issue in this race, but the Democrats need to do much more to convince people they can manage the economy as well.

Isabelle Mullen is a 7NEWS federal political reporter