Harris Sheds Policy Positions From Just Five Years Ago That Made Her a Darling Among Liberal Democrats

Vice President Harris, in her first week hitting the campaign trail with her new running mate, is quietly shedding some of the signature policy positions that made her popular among liberals when she launched her first bid for the presidency in 2019. From immigration to healthcare to energy, Ms. Harris’s moderation is seen as deeply disingenuous by Republicans. In an effort to garner left-wing voters’ support back during her first campaign, Ms. Harris embraced a decriminalization of border crossings by migrants, Medicare for all, and a ban on fracking — three positions that she has abandoned just in the last few days. “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” the vice president said at a CNN town hall just five years ago. “And starting with what we can do on day one around public lands. And this is something I’ve taken on in California. I have a history of working on this issue.”Now, in a statement to reporters, Ms. Harris’s campaign says she “does not support a total ban on fracking,” a major reversal signaling a shift to the center. Republicans aren’t letting her forget her original pledge. The GOP nominee for Senate in Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, told Fox News on Monday that the “San Francisco liberal policies are just too extreme for Pennsylvania.”“The banning of fracking, the transition of energy workers … I mean, I grew up in rural Pennsylvania,” Mr. McCormick said. “You say you’re gonna ban fracking … that’s just not gonna sell in Pennsylvania.”In a 2019 post on the blog site Medium, Ms. Harris wrote that her support for Medicare for all was personal because of her mother’s fight with colon cancer. She wrote that no family should have to suffer what she and her sister did. “Now, let’s expand it to all Americans and give everyone access to comprehensive health care. Medicare for All will cover all medically necessary services, including emergency room visits, doctor visits, vision, dental, hearing aids, mental health, and substance use disorder treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health care services,” she wrote shortly after she announced her run for president. Now, she’s walking back that pledge. On Tuesday, Fox News reported that Ms. Harris no longer views Medicare for all as one of her policy goals. The perceived moderation of Ms. Harris since she launched her bid for the presidency has helped her close the gap on issue-specific polls relative to Mr. Biden. Before the president dropped out of the race, he trailed President Trump when voters were asked who they trust more on their most important issues, including inflation, crime, and immigration. According to a poll released Tuesday by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan, Ms. Harris is now more trusted than Trump on economic issues. In total, 42 percent trust Ms. Harris to deliver a good economy compared to 41 percent for Trump. Just in June, 37 percent of voters said they trusted Mr. Biden more than Trump. A New York Times–Siena College poll found that the economy would be a major deciding factor for voters in November. The top two issues for potential voters were the economy and abortion. That survey, however, found Trump with a 9-point lead over Ms. Harris, who was more trusted to manage America’s economic viability. Abortion was Ms. Harris’s strongest issue, with a 24-point lead over the former president on who would better deal with the issue. Immigration — which was a major weak point for Mr. Biden until he dropped out — is also an issue where voters have come to trust Ms. Harris more. The Times–Siena survey found that 46 percent trust Ms. Harris to handle the historic number of migrant crossings, compared to 51 percent who said the same of Trump. A poll from Monmouth University in December 2023 disclosed a shocking deficit for Mr. Biden on the issue, with 28 percent of voters approving of the work he has done to curb it, compared to 68 percent disapproving.

Harris Sheds Policy Positions From Just Five Years Ago That Made Her a Darling Among Liberal Democrats

Harris Sheds Policy Positions From Just Five Years Ago That Made Her a Darling Among Liberal Democrats

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