Vice President Kamala Harris was pressed on her policy evolutions Thursday during in her first interview since becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, sitting alongside her running mate, Tim Walz. The highly anticipated interview, with CNN’s Dana Bash, came after pressure had been building for Harris to answer more questions from impartial journalists and fully sketch out how her vision differs from that of President Joe Biden. She has a largely avoided doing either in the 39 days since he decided not to run for re-election and endorsed her instead.
“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective,” Harris said when asked about her policy evolutions, "is that my values have not changed.” She acknowledged, however, that her experience as vice president has led her to update her views on certain issues. “I believe it is important to build consensus, and it is important to find a common place of understanding of where we can actually solve problems,” Harris added, seemingly nodding to how political realities may have influenced her views.
Harris ran for president in 2019 on a progressive agenda that included Medicare for All, a Green New Deal and a ban on fracking. That campaign flamed out, and when Biden chose Harris to be his running mate, she naturally adopted his agenda and platform. But with Harris atop the ticket herself now — along with a policy landscape that has changed — it has been unclear where she diffe.