Harris’s Early Campaign: Heavy on Buzz, Light on Policy

On policy, the vice president is drafting off President Biden, essentially cherry-picking the most popular parts of his agenda and betting that a younger messenger can sell them to Americans.

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Vice President Kamala Harris has emphasized what allies call the “care economy”: child care, health care and drug prices, which directly affect voters’ lives.

When Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, she had more than 200 distinct policy proposals. Four years ago, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had a task force write a 110-page policy document for his White House bid.

Now, Vice President Kamala Harris does not have a policy page on her campaign website.

A last-minute campaign born of Mr. Biden’s depreciated political standing has so far been running mainly on Democratic good feelings and warmth toward Ms. Harris, drafting off legislation and proposed policies from the man she is hoping to succeed.

Democrats’ problem for most of this year appeared to be Mr. Biden himself, rather than his policies. For more than a year, as his poll numbers sank, his aides and loyalists insisted that his legislative record and priorities were viewed favorably by Americans and would ultimately carry him to another term.

Ms. Harris is now testing that original theory — but with a younger, more spirited messenger.

On policy, she has essentially cherry-picked the parts of the Biden agenda that voters like most while discarding elements like his “Bidenomics” branding on the economy. She has emphasized what allies call the “care economy”: child care, health care and drug prices, which directly affect voters’ lives.

ImageMs. Harris has promised to keep down the costs of groceries, housing and prescription drugs. Credit…Eric Lee/The New York Times

There is no area in which she is seeking a significant break from his agenda — perhaps not surprising given that she had a role in crafting much of it. She has abandoned a host of progressive positions she adopted while running for the 2020 presidential nomination, and has for the most part avoided getting bogged down in the specifics of what she would do as president.

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