The Editorial Board endorses Kamala Harris for president of the United States.
Working with President Joe Biden, Harris has fought for reproductive rights, healthcare, gun control and a solution to the climate and energy crisis. Her track record, which includes service as a California prosecutor, district attorney and attorney general as well as U.S. senator and vice president, shows that she is capable of representing the American people.
In September, Harris launched her reproductive freedoms tour, making more than 50 stops to speak and educate voters in battleground states. Harris has shown her commitment to abortion rights, and she is the first vice president to visit a reproductive health clinic, according to the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.
Harris has fought for improved healthcare access, leading the Biden-Harris Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, in which she created the nation’s first baseline safety requirements for maternal care in hospitals. The Blueprint also extended postpartum Medicaid coverage, and formed the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Harris has worked to reduce drug prices by suing drug companies for illegal pricing as attorney general, and working with Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs as vice president.
Harris understands what the critical issues are, and she will take action. Unlike her opponent, she acknowledges the very real threats that are increasingly posed by climate change. Harris plans to build on Biden’s climate change initiatives and energy production policies. Like Biden, she would support a realistic shift to sustainability while advocating for renewable energy subsidies and supporting existing fossil fuel projects.
Harris will also protect the nation’s international relationships by upholding essential alliances. While her opponent, former President Donald Trump, threatened to leave NATO, Harris promised to protect U.S. membership.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s function is to facilitate international cooperation; thus U.S. participation as a major world power is crucial. NATO was formed to prevent future global conflict akin to World Wars I and II, and to ensure that countries subject to unjustified attacks are protected. Trump’s threats to leave NATO are dangerous; they show that the former president has little regard for the safety and territorial integrity of other nations. If Ukraine were a member of NATO, and thus protected, then Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022 would have faced significantly more resistance by other powers. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center poll, around two-thirds of Americans support NATO membership, meaning that Trump’s decision to leave NATO would contradict most Americans’ interests.
In terms of domestic relationships, Harris has worked with Biden on bipartisan legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, which bridged ideological gaps by repairing and rebuilding infrastructure, increasing clean energy usage and expanding access to clean drinking water.
Most notably, Harris does not hold herself above the law. She has not incited violent insurrection when confronted with the democratic election process, or pursued policies based on racist, sexist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. She has not denied the scientific realities of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in favor of dangerous conspiracies, nor has she been convicted of any felonies. Harris understands the meaning of democracy and is committed to upholding it.
The stakes have never been higher; the outcome of this election will determine whether our country adheres to the democratic principles it was founded upon. Kamala Harris is the only candidate who will ensure that these ideals survive.
