Kamala Harris wants to beat Donald Trump and capture the White House by walking back her soft-on-crime and immigration views.
The vice president, 59, unveiled the shift during her early campaign events since becoming the presumptive Democrat nominee, a tactic the New York Times observed comes as Republicans scramble to land attacks on her candidacy.
She’s set to make them official when she unveils her proposed policies to govern this week,
In particular, Harris’ past rhetoric on crime reform and illegal immigration have come under scrutiny.
During a campaign rally in Arizona on Friday, Harris embraced the growing emphasis among voters on rampant migration in border states.
‘I was the attorney general of a border state,’ she said proudly to supporters. ‘I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels and human traffickers. I prosecuted them in case after case, and I won.’
During her time as President Biden’s number two, Harris was put in charge of helping to stop the migrant crisis by targeting the root causes in Latin America.
But under the Biden-Harris administration, record numbers of illegal migrants flooded over the southern border.
More than 7.8 million people have been apprehended at the border by the CBP since Biden took office, according to figures cited by Texas Senator John Cornyn.
This did not include at least 1.5 million ‘gotaways’ – those that were detected by CBP technology but slipped into the country without being apprehended.
For Republicans, Harris’ responsibilities under this crisis has offered a fruitful line of attack during the campaign, with polls showing illegal immigration is only growing in the minds of American voters.
In a staggering outcome to a recent Reuters/ Ipsos poll, 56 percent of voters said most or all illegal immigrants in the US should be forcibly rounded up and deported.
But amid a wave of Republican attacks on her record, Harris’ campaign has attempted to lean into the issue and frame her as a tough prosecutor who tackled the issue throughout her career.
The furthest she has gone in recent weeks is pledging to expand avenues for migrants to someday become American citizens.
‘We know our immigration system is broken and we know what it takes to fix it: comprehensive reform,’ she said at Friday’s Arizona rally.
‘That includes strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship.’
Another new TV ad, targeted at swing-state voters in recent days, sees Harris pledge to ‘hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking.’
In another ad currently running, cited by Politico, a narrator said: ‘As vice president, she backed the toughest border control bill in decades.
‘And as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris.’
The newfound focus on tackling illegal immigration and coming down hard on migrants stands in stark contrast to positions Harris took in the past – including famously raising her hand during a 2020 Democrat primary debate when asked if illegal immigrants should be afforded public healthcare.
Polls also show Republicans are perceived by voters as being more effective on the issue – a factor that Harris’ new campaign is seemingly attempting to combat.
Along with other Democrat surrogates, Harris has slammed former President Trump for helping to kill a bipartisan border bill that was set to move through congress earlier this year.
The bill would have closed the border once certain numbers of migrants crossed, while significantly escalating the powers of border patrol to apprehend and deport those crossing illegally.
‘Donald Trump tanked the deal,’ Harris told her Arizona crowd on Friday.
‘Because he thought by doing that it would help him win an election.’
While her candidacy is still only weeks old, Harris’ efforts to redefine herself could pay off, according to pollsters and insiders.
Josh Ulibarri, an Arizona-based Democratic pollster, told Politico that the updated messaging is perceived by many as ‘smart, strategic and aggressive.’
‘(It is) well-aligned with what the swingier Arizona audiences need and want to hear from Democrats at this time,’ he told the outlet.
‘We need to neutralize the [immigration] issue, so we can give clarity to voters on abortion, on economic conversation and the risks Trump presents.’
Harris is also seen as being soft-on-crime and supported bail funds for those arrested during riots following George Floyd’s murder in May 2020.
Despite polling poorly as vice president, her White House run has gotten off to a strong start.
She is out-polling Trump in some surveys and has also dramatically-beaten his recent fundraising.
Republicans – and many Dems – believe Harris is currently enjoying a honeymoon period which will end over the coming weeks.