New details have surfaced from Kamala Harris’ pre-recorded interview with CNN, where she appeared alongside her running mate, Tim Walz. In the released segment, Harris addressed her shifts in policy regarding illegal immigration and fracking, emphasizing that despite these changes, her “values have not changed.”
During the interview, when CNN’s Dana Bash questioned Harris about her move from advocating for the decriminalization of illegal immigration to adopting a tougher stance on border policy, Harris referenced her tenure as California Attorney General. She asserted that, if elected, she would prioritize prosecuting gangs and criminals crossing the border.
Harris also sought to clarify her evolving stance on fracking, stressing the consistency of her underlying values. “I think the most important and significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is that my values have not changed,” she stated. She reiterated her commitment to addressing the climate crisis, saying, “You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed—and I have worked on it—that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics, including holding ourselves to deadlines around time.”
This marks a departure from Harris’ earlier position in a 2019 town hall, where she openly supported banning fracking, particularly on public lands. Despite this past stance, she maintained in the CNN interview, “We have set goals for the United States of America and by extension, the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. That value has not changed.”
In 2019, GovTrack rated Harris as the most left-leaning senator in Congress. Recently, she has reversed several of her former positions. Contrasting with her previously far-left record, Harris told Bash that throughout her career, she has been committed to “inviting diversity of opinion.” In the past, Harris has voiced support for defunding the police and mandating the sale of electric vehicles.
In the interview, Harris also mentioned her intention to include a former Republican in her cabinet if elected, stating, “I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my Cabinet who was a Republican,” though she did not specify who that person might be.