Kamala Harris: 7 things Catholic voters should know

President Joe Biden’s performance in last week’s debate caught the attention of many, but his vice president was not among them.

Vice President Kamala Harris defended Biden’s performance, although she admitted to CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the president was off to a “slow start.” in a heated interview.

“What we saw tonight is that the president draws a very clear contrast with Donald Trump on all the issues that matter to the American people,” Harris said. “Yes, there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish.”

Since the debate, speculation has increased in the Democratic political sphere and in the mainstream media that Biden should not run for president again. Although many have said that It’s too late to present a new Democratic candidate at this point in the cycle, there is still talk that someone like California Governor Gavin Newsom or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer could intervene.

Kamala Harris is also a logical choice given her position, and would automatically step in if Biden proved unable to execute his duties while still in office. But as a running mate, she doesn’t automatically get the nod if Biden falls, and because of her low approval ratings, party leaders are unlikely to push her as a replacement candidate.

Since it’s been four years since Kamala Harris last ran for president, here are 7 things Catholic voters should remember about her record and time in office.

1. He began his legal career as a prosecutor

Kamala Harris’ first elected position was San Francisco district attorney in 2004. She had been a prosecutor in Alameda County in 1990, then went to San Francisco in 1998 as an assistant district attorney in the criminal division of career. In 2011 she became attorney general of California.

As district attorney and attorney general, he has a mixed legacy reform-focused, tough-on-crime policies. Harris opposed the release of prisoners from overcrowded California prisons and pursued capital punishment, while mandating that all California police officers wear body cameras and relaxing sentences for repeat offenders if their third offense was non-violent.

2. He made national news during the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court

Harris won election to the U.S. Senate in 2016. She made national news in 2018 with her questioning of Judge Brett Kavanaugh about his connection to the law firm where then-President Donald Trump’s lawyers worked, and pressed him on the issue of Roe v. Wade.

Harris announced her candidacy for president on January 21, 2019. In the first 24 hours, raised 1.5 million US dollarstying Senator Bernie Sanders’ one-day record for his 2016 presidential campaign announcement.

During a Democratic primary debate, he lashed out at Biden for his past association with pro-segregation politicians, doubling down on his support. But by December his money was running out and his campaign was stalling. He withdrew from the race on December 3, 2019.

3. There was long speculation that she would be Biden’s running mate

The Congressional Black Caucus had urged Biden to choose a Black woman as his running mate since early 2019. After Harris ended her own campaign, many media outlets and politicians speculated that she would be his choice.

During the racial unrest that followed the death of George Floyd in 2020, Biden recommitted to choosing a Black woman as his potential vice president. On August 11, the selection became official.

She is the first woman to be elected vice president and the first black or Indian person to hold the position. She is the second person of color to be vice president, the first being President Herbert Hoover’s vice president, Charles Curtis, who was Native American.

4. She is the administration’s point person on abortion

Harris has taken a major role in the Biden administration’s abortion messaging. She has claimed that women who live in states where abortion is limited are in danger. She has taken to the streets to promote abortion access, including in Minnesota, where she visited an abortion center in March.

“In this environment, these attacks on an individual’s right to make decisions about their own body are outrageous and, in many cases, simply immoral,” Harris said at a news conference in the lobby of Planned Parenthood in St. Paul.

Minnesota abortion centers have seen an influx of patients from neighboring states with stricter abortion laws. He was also in Florida in May, when the six-week ban went into effect.

Abortion is one of the key issues for Biden’s campaign ahead of the elections

5. She is the border czar of the Biden administration

Shortly after taking office, Biden appointed Harris to lead the new immigration strategy to address the influx of undocumented migrants at the southern border. The administration’s plan was to solve the “root causes” of the crisis by stabilizing the countries in Central and South America, where most of the migrants come from, in contrast to President Trump’s plan to build a wall.

As vice president, Harris’ role is to lead diplomacy with these nations, but has been criticized for spending little time in Central America and on the southern border.

Illegal border crossings increased at their highest rates in 2023. Trump has made border security a big part of his platform.

6. He goes viral for his extravagant turns of phrase

Harris provides meme material due to his interesting intonations and phrasing, with clips of his speeches or interviews sometimes going viral.

During the 4th of July celebration at the White House this 2024, another viral moment is spreading across the Internet with the apparent introduction of “Vice President Joe Biden,” not the president. He quickly corrected course, but the video has been circulating.

After she and Biden won the 2020 election, a video of her calling Biden to tell him “We did it, Joe!” became one of the 10 most popular tweets of 2020.

Has been parodied for using oversimplified language to describe the 2022 war between Russia and Ukraine on a radio show, saying: “So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. “Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So basically, that’s wrong and goes against everything we stand for.”

One of his favorite quotes, “imagine what can be, unburdened by what has been,” is frequently circulated on social media, including a four minute compilation.

7. He has a tougher stance on Israel than the president.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, Harris has taken a slightly tougher stance on Israel than the president.

In March, demanded Israel to maintain an immediate ceasefire and not impose restrictions on the arrival of aid to Gaza. Later that same month, warned to Israel that launching a ground attack on Rafah would be “a big mistake.”

Biden is a long-time ally of Israel, and has not gone so far as to demand restraint or propose retaliation against Israel’s strategy. But administration officials they claim that there is no abyss between the president and his vice president, only a difference in emphasis.

The Democratic base is divided over Israel, with the old guard generally pro-Israel, but a vocal, younger contingent siding with the Palestinians.

The Democratic presidential candidate will be officially chosen at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which begins on August 19.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in National Catholic Register.