Harris says she will not ban fracking in CNN interview

Vice President Kamala Harris said she would not ban fracking during the Democratic ticket’s first sit-down interview of the campaign on Thursday.

Harris told CNN personality Dana Bash that she believed progress on climate change was possible without a ban on the oil extraction practice, pointing to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act that included investments in clean energy.

“I have always believed – and I have worked on it – that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time,” Harris.

Harris had called for a fracking ban in 2019 while campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential primary.

Fracking, a method of extracting natural gas and oil from deep within the Earth’s surface, could be a critical issue in rural parts of Pennsylvania, where the industry has brought both jobs and environmental concerns.

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Harris-Walz’s first interview comes on good polling day

The CNN interview comes on the heels of major polling wins for the ticket.

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released Thursday found that Harris leads nationally 48%-43%, marking an eight-point turnaround from June, when President Joe Biden was the nominee.

The swing in the poll was fueled by parts of the traditional Democratic coalition “moving home” after the candidate swap and the DNC.

• Voters 18 to 34 years old moved from supporting Trump by 11 points to supporting Harris by 13 points, 49%-36%.
• Hispanics moved from supporting Trump by two points to supporting Harris by 16 points, 53%-37%.
• Black voters moved from supporting Biden by 47 points to supporting Harris by 64 points, 76%-12%.
• Voters making less than $20,000 moved from supporting Trump by three points to supporting Harris by 23 points, 58%-35%

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday found similar topline results, showing Harris ahead 45% to 41% among registered voters. In the poll, Harris had a 13-point lead over Trump with women and Hispanic voters. A Wall Street Journal poll also released Thursday showed that the Vice President was ahead 48%-47% in a head-to-head match-up and 47%-45% when alternative candidates were included. A Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll released late Thursday had Harris either ahead or in a statistical tie in Midwestern and Sun Belt battleground states.

A Fox News poll of battleground states released Wednesday showed that the Democrats were slightly ahead in most Sun Belt battleground states.

The poll had the race at:

• Arizona: Harris 50% – Trump 49%
• Georgia: Harris 50% – Trump 48%
• Nevada: Harris 50% – Trump 48%
• North Carolina: Trump 50% – Harris 49%

The poll found that Trump equaled his 2020 vote percentage in the head-to-head race in every state except Georgia, while Harris meets or exceeds Biden’s 2020 vote share across the states.