WASHINGTON — In her campaign against Republican Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris says that she will “proudly put my record against his any day of the week.” The proposition isn’t so simple.
Republicans are resurfacing Harris’ previous positions from her failed presidential campaign four years ago, and they’re blaming her for controversies on President Joe Biden’s watch. At the same time, Harris wants credit for accomplishments that were achieved under Biden while also charting her own course forward.
A look at some key topics and how Harris has approached them.
Harris took several progressive stances on immigration when she sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. She wanted immigrants who were in the country illegally to be eligible for government healthcare, and she wanted to decriminalize border crossings.
When Harris became Biden’s vice president, the administration unraveled some of Trump’s harshest immigration policies, and Harris worked on improving conditions in Central American countries to reduce the flow of migrants toward the United States. However, illegal crossings reached historic levels, creating a political crisis for the White House. Republicans have blamed Harris for failures to secure the border.
Biden ultimately implemented restrictions on seeking asylum, frustrating immigration advocates but significantly reducing crossings. The Harris campaign said the vice president also supports Biden’s request for more money for border enforcement.
Democrats have been divided over Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza. While the president has expressed concern about Palestinian deaths, he’s also been a steadfast supporter of Israeli military operations despite calls to cut off U.S. weapons shipments.
Harris has publicly hewed closely to the administration’s views, but she’s chosen different issues to emphasize. She’s spoken about planning for the “day after” in Gaza, when extensive rebuilding would be necessary, and she’s focused on suffering among Palestinian civilians. The most recent example came last week following Harris’ meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters,” she said.
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, Biden and Harris have emphasized the need to restore nationwide abortion rights. The goal, they say, is to pass legislation if Democrats retake full control of Congress.
However, Harris and Biden don’t always approach the issue in the same way. As a lifelong Catholic who initially felt that Roe v. Wade went too far, Biden rarely uses the word “abortion” and prefers to talk in terms of protecting people from government intrusion into their lives.
Harris speaks much more bluntly about the topic, and she visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota earlier this year. The battle for abortion rights is expected to be a centerpiece of her campaign for the presidency.
Harris started her career in elected office as San Francisco’s district attorney, and the politics of law enforcement have been turbulent over the years. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Harris expressed praise for the “defund the police” movement and questioned whether money was being effectively spent on public safety.
The White House tried to overhaul policing, but the legislation stalled on Capitol Hill, and Biden ultimately settled for issuing an executive order. The administration also pumped more money into local departments.
Now Harris is embracing her law enforcement background as she runs against Trump, who is the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
While seeking the 2020 nomination, Harris said she would ban fracking and pursue the Green New Deal, a sweeping progressive effort to shift the country toward renewable energy.
The White House took a more measured approach. The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by Biden, pumped $375 billion into the fight against climate change, mostly through the creation of financial incentives for clean technologies. U.S. oil production also hit a record high even though Biden also pursued conservation efforts.
The Harris campaign said she would no longer try to stop fracking if elected this year.
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Associated Press writer Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this report.
