PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday said Democrats are capable of focusing on more than one major issue at a time as the midterm election approaches — that fighting for abortion rights doesn't preclude prioritizing the economy.
Her comments, in an interview with KYW Newsradio, came in response to criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Independent from Vermont said Democrats are committing "political malpractice" by focusing only on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving voters to wonder what they plan to do about the economy.
Listen to the entire interview with Kamala Harris
"We have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," Harris said. "So, do the work … around lowering costs, and deal with the fact that the Supreme Court just took a constitutional right that had been recognized — took it from the people of America, from the women of America. And that this represents a direct attack on — I don't need to tell Philadelphia, the birthplace of these concepts — it's a direct attack on freedom and liberty."
Cost-of-living crisis
People are dealing with the prolonged pain of inflation. Gas prices are on the way back up. Rent and mortgages, for some, are downright unaffordable. And yet, Harris said, she can make the case that people should vote for more of the party in power.
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She pointed, in part, to Democratic-led legislation empowering Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescriptions.
"We are lowering the cost of drugs," Harris said. "For example, insulin to $35 a month — capping it at $35 a month, which has a huge impact on so many communities. In Philadelphia, for the Black community — African Americans are 60% more likely to have diabetes. Latinos are 70% more likely to have diabetes. So this is a big issue."
Violent crime
A recent Politico/Morning Consult poll finds a majority of voters see violent crime as one of the most important issues affecting how they will vote in the midterms, but just one-third of people surveyed believe the Biden administration is making crime a top priority.
In Philadelphia, the homicide rate set a record last year; the city is on pace to match or exceed that this year.
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With Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz slamming his Democratic opponent John Fetterman in campaign ads over crime and the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor's views on criminal justice reform, is Harris concerned the "soft on crime" tag is sticking to Democrats?
"Here's the thing — there's a lot of work that we need to do and continue to do in terms of public safety," the vice president replied. "And it includes what we have done as an administration, in terms of the funding that we have been supplying communities as it relates to gun crime and what we need to do to address that in a substantial way. And it includes what we have done in terms of — and the president has been very clear about this — what we need to do to support law enforcement in terms of their desire to engage in community policing."
The White House has prioritized support for mental health care and improvements to security in schools, along with new gun safety laws, Harris said.
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The Democratic National Committee invited KYW Newsradio to interview the vice president about what's at stake in Pennsylvania on Election Day. Just before the start of the phone interview on Wednesday morning, news broke that three Philadelphia police SWAT officers had been shot and wounded in Poplar.
"As a former prosecutor, I know for those three officers and their families, that every time they leave their home, whether it be for a night shift, or in the morning, there's a silent prayer that they come home safe," Harris told us. "And so the first point I just want to make is to send them my best wishes for a speedy recovery, and to their families that they are together."