Kamala Harris has a smart approach to crime

Vice President Kamala Harris has used her record as a prosecutor to contrast her presidential rival, convicted felon Donald Trump. Perhaps to neutralize that line of attack, former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, have portrayed Harris as “weak on crime.”

Perhaps they assume Harris will be reluctant to back down from this onslaught. After all, in 2020, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and calls to defund the police, Harris distanced herself from characterizations of herself as a “top cop.” But Harris has spent most of her career as a thoughtful leader on the criminal justice system, gaining insights she should tout in her presidential campaign. Based on her record, Harris is defying conventional labels of “tough” or “soft” on crime—instead, pioneering a nuanced approach that influenced the federal government during the Obama administration.