Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris announced her run for the president in July, her polling has gone up, and not just in 538. After her announcement, she saw her social media presence grow, gaining over 2.5 million followers on Instagram, and dominating TikTok, making her own fan-fic movie clips. This week begins the Democratic National Convention with Harris and Lil’ John bringing in the highest level of engagement. One thing is clear: Kamala Harris definitely passed the presidential run check; however, does Kamala Harris pass the Kamala Harris check for voters? As a potential voter, it is crucial to understand the values, policy positions, and goals that Kamala Harris represents today.
Below, we discuss some of the policy communication from her campaign and from her actions that she has made today.
Paid Parental Leave:
One thing that Kamala Harris has been a long advocate for is families, especially working families. Harris and Gov. Tim Walz unveiled their economics plan, and one of their priorities is to restore the expanded child tax credit. The plan guarantees every parent a tax credit to support their finances. Their tax credits would be worth $6,000 for every newborn child, covering the essential products needed during the child’s first year. A staff member from her campaign told CNBC that they will give tax credits to families that purchase cribs, diapers, clothing, blankets, car seats, and other products a newborn needs.
Kamala Harris has always openly stated that she believes every worker in America should have the right to take time off to care for themselves or their loved ones. As heard in a Facebook video, she supported paid family and medical leave for every worker in America, saying, “Let us be clear. In America, in the 21st century, every worker should be able to take time off to care for themselves or for the people they love.” At a campaign rally, she reiterated that she is for paid family and medical leave, “We believe in the future—a future with affordable health care, a future with affordable child care, a future with affordable housing and paid leave. That’s the future we believe in.”
For Kamala Harris, paid parental leave is as much of an economic issue as it is a social one. She wants policies such as paid parental leave to allow parents to care for their children, helping to create a stronger economy. This idea is foundational to her vision for America’s future. Her approach is mother and family-centered. Families, according to Harris, contribute to the economy even if there’s no paycheck involved. Her attitude will shape the economy of the future as she aims to create more equal opportunities for all American citizens.
LGBTQ+ Rights:
Kamala Harris has made multiple efforts in her career to ensure support and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. She has also been a long-time supporter of same-sex marriage.
The American Civil Liberties Union has stated that “for the past four years, the Biden-Harris administration has made LGBTQ+ rights a cornerstone of its policy agenda.” And that is true – the administration has been consistently defending the rights of LGBTQ+ people. One of their policies was to sue states to ban anti-trans laws. Another example is when the administration called on the Supreme Court to repeal the bans on medically necessary health care for Trans young people. But if we look at the beginning of her career, we will see that, in fact, the Vice President began promoting LGBTQ+ rights back in 2004. Kamala Harris worked as the district attorney of San Francisco at that time. In that position, she conducted some of the first lesbian weddings in the United States, defying the law. All that to show from the earliest days in her career, Harris was standing for equality and justice.
But Harris’s views on LGBTQ+ rights are not just a political position but a strong moral stance – she does not want people to be treated unfairly for who they are. And her record shows she holds steadfast to these beliefs. In a recent interview with a couple whose wedding she conducted back then, she said, “I remember the vows you had written, and the essence of them was, ‘I will always be with you. I will always follow you,’” Harris said. The couple replied by telling her, “That was when you got us there… to where you actually had to say the words, you know.” Witherspoon, once asked whether he had ever thought about the dangers Harris faced conducting these weddings, answered, “But that wasn’t on my brain. Not at that time. I was with my man, shit.” He added, “I never thought about getting married and what that would mean, but once we got the opportunity to do so, it meant a lot to me.… I think that was part of the emotion as well; being denied something for so long, thinking that it would not happen in my lifetime and to see it happen.” Kamala Harris is evidently fighting for a fairer society where everyone can be themselves.
Abortion Access:
Kamala Harris has strong opinions on the issue of abortion. For instance, she was totally against restricting access to it. This summer, she expressed her stand on abortion, launching the “Call to Action for Reproductive Freedom” event. The website highlights that “reproductive freedom is about health, agency, and trust. People should have the freedom to make decisions about their bodies and access the care they need when they need it. We must trust people to make their own choices, supported by the care of a nurse, doctor, partner, or friend. Reproductive freedom is a civil right that every American deserves. I will make it an administration priority to protect and expand reproductive freedom in America and around the world.”
The issue of abortion access and reproductive rights is as important to Kamala Harris’s political career as possible, and she has been an ardent proponent of them at every point of her public life. Her passion for protecting Californians’ right to choose has grown even stronger after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. As California’s attorney general, Harris defended the state’s abortion legislation in several cases and legally prosecuted crisis pregnancy centers that used deceptive practices. This way, the politician ensured that women in the state had the possibility to choose a safe and legal abortion, free from any misleading or pressuring interventions.
In 2017, Harris participated in the Senate as a U.S. senator and co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that aimed to establish limitations on states’ ability to restrict access to abortions. The draft tried to prevent patients from facing different obstacles and unnecessary requirements, such as “medically unnecessary in-person visits to any individual or entity” before they could get an abortion. This document was just one step in the politician’s ambitious plan to guarantee safe access to reproductive health choices for all women and uphold their right to make decisions about their own bodies.
Reproductive Rights:
Ever since her presidential campaign, Harris has been a staunch advocate for abortion access. Even as vice president, she has continued to support the cause and expressed her disapproval of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “Our administration has taken action to protect access to emergency medical care, to support women forced to travel out of state for care, and to protect women’s privacy,” she said in a speech in 2023. At the same time, Harris stated that despite their achievements, the war has not been won, and that Congress must ensure the reinstatement of protections that the Supreme Court has taken away. “But we know this fight will not truly be won until we secure this right for every American—which means, ultimately, the United States Congress must put back in place what the Supreme Court took away and have the courage to stand for freedom in every way.” Harris’s vehement support of abortion access has never been more evident than in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision. It is therefore a testament to Harris’s commitment to gender equality that she understands that the fight for it cannot be won without reproductive freedom and that access to safe and legal abortions is a fundamental right that must be protected at all costs.
Immigration:
How Kamala Harris approaches immigration has been a swirling topic since President Biden tapped her early in his administration to lead the administration’s response to the months-long border crisis. Republicans named her the “Czar of The Border,” and this led to some confusion regarding her job duties related to correctly understanding the scope of Harris’ role on all things border. On the other hand, as reported by sources such as The Washington Post, Harris was not responsible for overseeing border management directly. Homeland Security deals with immigration; the Vice President does not.
Instead of landing at the border, Harris attempted to tackle why migrants are coming in via donations for private financial aid directly into three Central American countries—El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. The idea was it helped persuade people to stay in their home country by addressing the reasons they wanted to leave. Between those efforts, the WH said Harris had managed to pull in over $5.2 billion worth of investment for these countries.
This approach is backed by Ricardo Zúniga, a former State Department official who worked on issues related to the Northern Triangle and has since traveled with Harris. He added that Harris had privately told allies that her best pitch would be to work on fomenting investment, by capitalizing upon the cachet a White House relationship could lend investors. Indeed Harris rolled out border advertisements in August, stating her strong support for stringent border stances if she becomes president. The narrator in the ad states that when Harris was Vice President, she supported one of the toughest border-control bills passed in decades. The president says fixing the border is “very tough” and if she were President, she would higher thousands of more border agents and attack issues like far from a water entry point back here in our country development., saying addressing fentanyl purity rate which effects U.S. citizens who never cross Mexico before stop digging so close to this failed asylum system for people that came through this program. Kate. CONWAY: So is Kamala Harris.”
Moreover, Harris has been a vocal advocate for the Dreamers — undocumented people who came to this country as children and were eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). She stated in June, “As the Attorney General of California and as a United States Senator I fought to defend and protect DACA. As Vice President, I have worked with Pres Biden to save & strengthen DACA—whether that means Dreamers can afford care or simply any community in which they’re thriving becomes healthier for everyone. But she also noted that the administration keeps fighting for Dreamers and only Congress can provide lasting protections. She also implored lawmakers to pass legislation that offers a pathway to citizenship, insisting “the need for permanent solution is long overdue.”
Harris on AI (Artificial Intelligent):
In Harris’ role as Vice President, she has been an outspoken proponent for AI development guidelines and standards that prioritize the use of such technology in a responsible and fair manner. During the AI Safety Summit in London, where she declared that “America is First When it comes to AI…” American companies are the world-leaders in AI. America is the one country that can drive global action and shape a global consensus in ways no other nation can. And with President Joe Biden, it does America that is going to lead on AI.
Harris focused on the ways AI could transform industries such as health care, education and the economy. As an example, she said AI could have the potential to generate effective new drugs that would cure diseases humans had been fighting for centuries. It could also significantly increase agricultural yields and solve global food insecurity, help save countless lives in a battle against the climate crisis.
At the same time, however, Harris identified threats to AI as well: hacking attempts using intelligence in mind control and manipulation or linked somehow with bioweapons planned by artificial intelligence has arisen biased coding. Emphasized the need to create a vision for an AI-driven world that benefits human rights and dignity, respecting privacy, reflecting opportunity. AI should be empowering our democracies and making the world safer, in Harris’s opinion.
Middle East:
On the Israeli Gaza conflict, Harris sits in awkward position. In July, she restated her “unswerving commitment to the state of Israel’s existence and its security as well as to that of Israeli people. But she also voiced discontent over the humanitarian plight in Gaza and considered it more important than all civilians being killed there. Harris raised her concerns with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and she noted the desperate humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where more than two million people are at emergency levels of food insecurity and half a million endure severe sterilizing hunger.
Even so, Harris is determined that a two-state solution remain the only way forward. He said that it may be hard to imagine now but she believes a two-state solution is the only way to guarantee Israel’s Jewish and democratic future, while also granting Palestinians freedom, security and prosperity.
Cannabis Legalization:
One of the biggest PR challenges for her is certainly Harris’s history on cannabis. One could view her shifting position as growth or a flip-flop, depending on one’s perspective.
When Harris was running for Attorney General of California back in 2010, she opposed the sale of recreational marijuana in that state. While district attorney, prosecutors in her office convicted more than 1,900 people on marijuana charges. But Harris now speaks out strongly in favor of legalizing marijuana.
Asked about the federal classification of cannabis as a schedule I controlled substance, Harris said in early 2024 that it was “patently unfair,” It is very important to me and I really need them to expedite the process as much as they can, we have got a solution that comes out of their results and their analysis. However if you compare it to the current schedule, weed is classed as just about the same level of dangerous than heroin. … Cannabis is treated like it’s as dangerous a narcotic as opium, and more hazardous than ultra-potent synthetic heroin-fentanyl cocktails—asinine. And, hmmm… just flat out unfair.
Home Affordability:
One of the major policy areas that Harris has centered her campaign on is making homeownership more accessible to Americans and helping younger generations into their first homes. Harris pledged in August that she would ask Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act within her first 100 days as president. Legislation, such as the bill proposed by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown in 2023 to abolish tax benefits for investors and corporations who buy up vast swathes of single-family homes, essentially driving average potential home buyers out of the market.
Harris slammed corporate landlords at a campaign rally, saying: “Some of these corporate landlords own dozens if not hundreds of homes and apartments then they turn around and rent them out for exorbitant prices. And it could then end up pricing working families out of homeownership or affordable rent. In fact, investors could control fully 40% of all U.S. single-family rental homes in just the next six years at this rate. Harris is also backing the “Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act” being introduced by Sens. This act intends to stop corporate landlords gaming the system by creating rent raising desks.
