Four Issues Kamala Harris Has Changed Her Position On

Vice President Kamala Harris has shifted her positions on several key issues in a bid to win over moderate voters in November, as former President Donald Trump‘s campaign attacks her for “flip-flopping” and trying to run from what they call her far-left record.

Harris and Trump are locked in a close election, as recent polls show the race hinging on a handful of battleground states that are viewed as pure toss-ups less than two months ahead of Election Day. Each candidate will spend the next two months trying to win over undecided voters in these states, while working to generate enthusiasm among their own voter bases.

For Harris, this means winning over independent and moderate voters without alienating progressives in her party, who are already at odds with her over issues like the war in Gaza. To convince these swing voters to back her in November, Harris has walked back a number of positions she took during her short-lived 2020 presidential campaign, when she embraced more liberal positions on issues like immigration and the economy during the Democratic primary.

A New York Times/Siena College poll released over the weekend found that 47 percent of respondents viewed Harris as “too liberal or progressive,” while only 32 percent viewed Trump as “too conservative.” The poll surveyed 1,695 likely voters from September 3 to September 6.

That poll also found, notably, that nearly half of respondents thought Harris was too liberal. Many of the likely voters who were surveyed said they still needed to hear more from the Democratic nominee about her positions on issues.

Within hours of the poll being published, the Harris campaign posted a policy page on its official website outlining some of those positions.

The policy page, combined with the few statements Harris has given to the media since becoming the nominee, highlight how Harris has specifically pivoted to the center of issues like immigration and fracking since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the presidential ticket in July. She defended changing her positions on some issues during an interview with CNN‘s Dana Bash last month, saying: “I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed.”

Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek that Harris “has to” moderate on some issue to be competitive in a general election.

“Lacking a fleshed-out policy program like a candidate who was in the game longer would have, she has to send some signals. The big question is whether these signals will persuade enough of the essential middle voters that she will not govern from the Left. Being a prosecutor helps, but she was a liberal senator—there’s no real arguing that,” he said.

Harris can offer an explanation about why her views have moderated between 2020 and 2024 to build credibility among moderate voters, he said. The debate against Trump on Tuesday can be “a very important moment for sorting these questions out,” according to Reeher.

Newsweek reached out to the Harris campaign for comment via email.

Fracking

Fracking is one key issue where Harris has changed her opinion.

While environmental activists and some scientists have warned that fracking may be contributing to climate change, others have argued that pivoting away from fossil fuels completely would not be economically sustainable. The issue may emerge as a sticking point in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state closely divided between Democrats and Republicans where a years-long fracking boom has lifted the state economy.

While running in the 2020 Democratic primary, Harris expressed support for a national ban on fracking, saying in a CNN town hall: “There’s no question I am in favor of banning fracking.”

However, she has reversed her position since becoming the Democratic nominee.

In the CNN interview, Harris defended that reversal.

“My values have not changed. I believe it is very important that we take seriously what we must do to guard against what is a clear crisis in terms of the climate,” she said.

She continued, “And to do that, we can do what we have accomplished thus far. The Inflation Reduction Act. What we have done to invest, by my calculation, probably a trillion dollars over the next few years, investing in a clean energy economy. What we’ve already done creating over 300,000 new clean energy jobs. That tells me, from my experience as vice president, we can do it without banning fracking.”

Decriminalizing Border Crossings

Immigration has been a sore spot for Democrats in recent years. Republicans have blamed the Biden administration’s approach to border security for a surge in migrant crossings after the pandemic, which has since ebbed after Biden issued an executive order clamping down on asylum claims. The Trump administration faced its own share of criticism while he was in office over policies such as family separation viewed as inhumane.

Harris has embraced more moderate rhetoric on immigration compared to her 2020 presidential run, including changing her position on the criminalization of border crossings.

During a 2019 primary debate, Harris said she would support decriminalizing border crossings. She also was among the candidates to raise their hand when a moderator asked if their healthcare plans would include coverage for undocumented migrants.

While she has not publicly distanced herself from the healthcare question, Harris did tell CNN that she now believes there should be “consequences” for illegal border crossings.

“We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally. And there should be consequences,” she said.

“And let’s be clear. In this race, I’m the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations, who traffic in guns, drugs and human beings. I’m the only person in this race who actually served a border state as attorney general to enforce our laws. And I would enforce our laws as president going forward,” she continued.

Electric Vehicle Mandate

When Harris was a senator, she co-sponsored a bill that would require automakers to build strictly electric or hydrogen vehicles by 2035, a key priority for environmental advocates.

An archived version of her campaign site pledged “100 percent carbon-neutral electricity” on all “new buses, heavy-duty vehicles and vehicle fleets.” The page also indicated support for requiring 100 percent of new vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035.

Axios reported on September 4 that Harris’ campaign sent out a “fact check” email, stating that Harris “does not support an electric vehicle mandate.” She has not provided additional details.

Medicare for All

While Harris has not disavowed her previous support for a single-payer healthcare system, known colloquially as “Medicare for All,” her campaign has not emphasized her support for the policy this cycle.

Her campaign issues page highlights her support to “strengthen” Medicare but makes no mention of single-payer healthcare, which is no longer a front-and-center issue in the current campaign.

“Vice President Harris will protect Social Security and Medicare against relentless attacks from Donald Trump and his extreme allies. She will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the long haul by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share in taxes. She will always fight to ensure that Americans can count on getting the benefits they earned,” her website reads.