During an interview with PBS’s “Firing Line” released on Friday, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) said that he doesn’t believe 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris has moved to the center “as much as you might think.”
Host Margaret Hoover asked, “You also are an advocate for climate. When Kamala Harris ran as a progressive, in 2020, she backed Medicare for all, she backed the Green New Deal, but her campaign seems to be pivoting away from that past support. How do you understand her shift to the center in the context of the general election?”
Padilla responded, “Well, I don’t think she’s shifted as much as you might think. First of all, clear contrast between the two campaigns. Kamala Harris believes climate change is real. California, in many ways, is an exhibit A that climate change is not an idea, a risk in the future, it’s happening now. Donald Trump, Republicans deny that climate change is happening, despite record hurricanes, record tornadoes ravaging states represented by Republicans. So, one of the things I’m looking forward to in a Harris administration is bringing our collective experience dealing with wildfires, dealing with floods and atmospheric rivers in California to better inform federal policy, not just in terms of preparedness and response, but to reverse climate change. California’s been a leader, for example, on the growth of renewable energy. In addition to energy efficiency and conservation, we’re tackling emissions in the transportation sector, not just electric vehicles, but electrifying the public transit system. And now we’re looking at locomotives and heavy-duty trucks. We have one planet. We’ve got to protect it. California’s leading the way, and it’s a foundation for successful policy at the federal level and beyond.”
In an earlier portion of the interview, Hoover asked, “In June, President Biden issued an executive order that suspended the entry of most migrants across the border. And you said at the time, that you were ‘beyond disappointed’ at the policy and that it was ‘unconscionable.’ Is it your view — or hope that a President Kamala Harris will change that executive order?”
Padilla answered, “There [are] certainly some refinements that will probably be in order.”
Hoover then asked about Harris Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez saying that Biden border policies that are really working will continue, and Padilla responded, “Yeah. They’re going to continue. They’ll continue to be refined and improved and they’re going to continue to be built upon. Like I said, it’s not just an enforcement-only strategy. It’s an enforcement strategy at the border, it’s an engagement strategy with other countries that are allies throughout the hemisphere, and it is advancing relief for so many long-term residents of the United States that happen to be undocumented, but have earned it and deserve better.”
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