Top Kamala Harris adviser Brian Fallon defended the Democratic nominee's progressive 2020 presidential platform, noting that her earlier policies were a reflection of "strongly held values that not just she but other Democrats at the time held."
"In that campaign and in that period of time, the Democratic Party … wanted to stand in stark contrast to Donald Trump. … I think that these were statements reflecting strongly held values that not just she but other Democrats at the time held," Fallon told Politico, speaking of far-left policies Harris supported during her failed 2020 presidential campaign.
"But then when you’re in it, when you’re in the role of governing, you have to make good-faith efforts to try to achieve progress. And, oftentimes, that requires working with people across the aisle," Fallon continued.
Since becoming the Democratic candidate, Harris has backtracked on progressive policies she long touted—including decriminalizing illegal immigration, banning fracking, Medicare for All, and mandatory gun buyback programs.
Fallon said Harris pushed progressive values in her 2020 bid as part of Democrats’ strategy to oppose Trump "in the starkest ways possible."
"Democrats in that era … wanted to stand up to Donald Trump in the most forceful way possible and wanted to articulate the differences with Donald Trump in the starkest ways possible, and wanted to make a stand on behalf of strongly held values that we felt like Donald Trump represented the antithesis to," the Democrat said.
Now, Fallon said, the vice president has to work "across the aisle" to "achieve progress" and compromise with "the more moderate members" in her own caucus.
Harris herself, when asked about her policy reversals, said that her far-left values have not changed.
"I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed," she said during an August CNN interview.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has also indicated that Harris will abandon her more moderate policies and revert to her progressive "ideals."
"No, I don’t think she’s abandoning her ideals," he said. "I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election."