Harris 2024

‘My Values Have Not Changed.’ 2024 Kamala Harris Reckons With 2019 Kamala Harris.

In a closely watched joint CNN interview done alongside her running mate, Harris tried to quelch attacks on changes to policy positions she’s taken over the years.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris are interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris were interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash, where Harris answered questions about policy positions that she has changed over the years. Will Lanzoni/CNN

By Calen Razor and Jasmine Wright

August 29, 2024 10:32 PM

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday came face-to-face with the contradictory policy stances she’s backed between her unsuccessful 2020 campaign and the one she hopes to win in November.

The issues she addressed in a joint interview on CNN with her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, ranged from fracking to immigration. By facing them head-on, Harris sought to leave her past behind while taking the steam out of Republicans’ frequent accusations that she has flip-flopped her opinions to match what is politically popular.

In 2019, Harris committed to working on a federal ban on fracking if she was elected the following year. She also suggested that the U.S. needed to “start from scratch” as other Democrats argued for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.