Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, reacts to the crowd’s applause after arriving at a rally at Three of Strong Spirits in Portland on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, helped kick off his wife’s campaign for president with a visit to Portland Wednesday to talk about defending abortion rights and rally with supporters before attending a private fundraiser in Falmouth.

The visit came days after President Biden announced his decision to drop out of the presidential race and endorse Harris, who quickly became the Democratic party’s front-runner for the presidential nomination.

At a roundtable discussion at Planned Parenthood, Emhoff noted it was his first official event for the Harris campaign.

“We have a candidate in Kamala Harris who is on the right side of all these issues,” Emhoff said. “For freedom, for progress, for benefiting the middle class and a vision for a world in which we can all have a place.”

Preserving abortion access and reproductive rights are a key component of Harris’ campaign and have become a powerful election issue for both parties since the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

ABORTION ACCESS A KEY TOPIC

State Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, introduced Emhoff at the roundtable, which also included Lauren Miller, a Dallas woman who said she traveled to Maine for the event to share her story of trying to get an abortion in her home state, and two Maine women, Dana Pierce and Arianna Morse Leighton.

Pierce, of Yarmouth, has been vocal about how she had to travel to Colorado for an abortion before the Maine Legislature passed a law last year to expand abortion access later in pregnancy.

Members of the media were invited to the first 20 minutes of the discussion, which continued behind closed doors.

Doug Emhoff speaks during an event at Planned Parenthood in Portland on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff photographer

In that time, Emhoff talked about Harris’ commitment to protecting and restoring abortion access. And he painted a stark contrast to the approach of Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

The 2022 Supreme Court decision, which was handed down after three Trump-nominated conservative justices were confirmed to the court, has resulted in a rollback of medical care women need, Emhoff said.

“This has to change, and of course, the person responsible for this is Donald Trump,” he said.

Emhoff also took aim at Project 2025, a set of conservative policy proposals for a new Republican administration that includes restricting abortion rights. “This is a blueprint to destroy our democracy,” he said.

Trump has boasted that he played a role in the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that put decisions on abortion laws in the hands of individual states, though he has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, which was organized by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Critics have pointed to the involvement of Trump allies as evidence that the plan shows what a second Trump administration could look like.

The former president posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Wednesday, saying “I have nothing to do with, and know nothing about, Project 25. The fact that I do is merely disinformation  put out by the Radical Left Democrat Thugs. Do not believe them!”

EXCITEMENT AT RALLY

In the days since Biden’s announcement Sunday, Democrats have mobilized around Harris. A survey by The Associated Press found she has the support of at least 2,579 delegates, which would be more than enough to make her the party’s nominee. And her campaign has said that she raised more than $100 million between Sunday afternoon and Monday evening.

At Three of Strong Spirits, a craft distillery on the Portland peninsula, Emhoff spoke during a rally with about 100 supporters and described the last few days as a whirlwind. He spoke about his marriage to Harris and her vision for the country, noting priorities of lowering the cost of health care and investing in businesses.

Doug Emhoff speaks at a rally at Three of Strong Spirits in Portland on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Emhoff, a lawyer, said he met Harris about 12 years ago through a client who was a friend of hers and set them up. “About a week later, I went on a blind date with the attorney general of California,” he said. “And it was love at first sight. It really was.”

Their 10th wedding anniversary will be Aug. 22, which also happens to be the final day of the Democratic National Convention.

“No matter what’s going on in the world, it’s always family first and thinking about (her family), and that’s the way she approaches public service,” Emhoff said. “It’s not about her. … For her, a lifetime of public service, which is a noble thing to do, it’s about us, the people.”

Many of Maine’s Democratic leaders have endorsed Harris, and Emhoff was introduced at the rally by House Majority Leader Mo Terry, D-Gorham, and Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, who both spoke in support of Harris.

Attendees in the crowd said they were excited by her candidacy and commended Biden for his decision to drop out of the race.

“This is an incredibly exciting moment for the Democratic party,” said Elizabeth Frasier, a Portland resident and Maine delegate to the national convention. “There’s a momentum we haven’t seen in a long time. (Biden) put the country before himself, and that was a gracious gesture that allows us to have this excitement.”

Frasier, 38, said as a fellow lawyer she is passionate about justice and feels Harris is, too. “It’s not abstract for her,” she said. “It’s about the law. She’s a great representative for that movement. And I’m excited to have a woman as our candidate.”

A crowd awaits the arrival of Doug Emhoff at Three of Strong Spirits in Portland on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff photographer

Brian Coffin, a 49-year-old Auburn resident who said he is a lifelong Democratic volunteer, was excited to see Biden endorse Harris, because he said it inspired his 20-year-old daughter to want to vote, whereas she was not interested in voting for Biden because she felt he was too old.

“Now she’s super excited to vote for Kamala Harris, as am I,” Coffin said. “And the fact that her husband came to Maine for one of his first stops is really cool.”

FUNDRAISER IN FALMOUTH 

Emhoff also visited Becky’s Diner and toured Coffee by Design while in Portland. He attended a fundraiser late Wednesday afternoon at the Falmouth home of Taylor and Becca Asen, the brother and sister-in-law of Jonathan Asen, a senior adviser on the Harris campaign in Maine.

Dozens of cars lined the stretch of Foreside Road surrounding the Asen residence around 4 p.m., as Emhoff appeared to be meeting with donors in a large tent behind the home. A pair of state troopers stood by their parked cars outside the residence as some neighbors walked the road or looked on from their steps.

Doug Emhoff speaks with state Rep. Lori Gramlich after a rally a Three of Strong Spirits in Portland on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

John O’Meara, a decades-long resident of the neighborhood, walked up and down Foreside Road shortly after 4 p.m., as cheering and applause rang from a tent on the home’s back lawn.

“I heard Kamala Harris’ husband was going to be in Maine,” he said. “I didn’t know it was across the street.”

O’Meara said the weekend launch of Harris’ campaign energized him after he had been feeling “totally dejected” about the election. The 69-year-old said he has registered as a Democrat and as a Republican in the past, but he donated $100 to Harris’ campaign Sunday.

He said Biden’s decision to drop out must have been difficult, but O’Meara believes it was the right choice.

“Now we’ll deal with issues, instead of which one is older and more demented,” O’Meara said. “People who were going to even sit it out are now saying, ‘Oh, we have a stark contrast (between candidates).’ ”

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.