There's one policy shift Kamala Harris hasn't made yet.
The vice president and Democratic nominee has voiced his support for decriminalizing prostitution as a California senator and as San Francisco district attorney.
But his campaign has refused to say whether those positions will remain in place as the 59-year-old takes on the nation's highest office.
The last time Harris commented on whether “sex work” should be legalized for consenting adults was during her unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2019.
“I think so,” Harris said. The Root in an interview at that time
“But I think we need to understand that it's not that simple. … There is an ecosystem that includes crimes that harm people. And I don't believe that people who harm other human beings or benefit from their exploitation should be immune from criminal prosecution when it comes to those issues.”
She said Harris was particularly keen to arrest “pimps” and “clients” rather than the prostitutes themselves.
But Ms Harris reiterated that when it comes to “consenting adults”, “we need to take seriously the fact that we can't criminalise consensual conduct as long as it doesn't harm anyone”.
The vice president made similar comments when he first ran for office in San Francisco in 2003.
“Consensual sexual activity between adults should not be subject to prosecution,” Harris said, according to an archived copy of the article from Asian Week, a now-defunct publication serving New York City's East Asian community, reviewed by The Washington Post.
Harris said at the time she believes prostitution is closely linked to violent crime and victimization, adding that she is committed to prosecuting “sexual abusers” and “statutory rapists.”
“I don't think we should do that. [be] “When you're dealing with the issue of prostitution, particularly child prostitution, you have to have some sort of comprehensive approach. We know that in San Francisco, child prostitution is really widespread,” she said at the time.
But in 2008, Harris opposed Proposition K, a ballot measure that would have decriminalized prostitution in San Francisco by prohibiting police from using public funds to investigate prostitution.
“Maybe I'm being vague on my position, but I think this is completely ridiculous,” Harris said of the bill, according to The New York Times. “This bill would welcome pimps and prostitutes into San Francisco.”
“We have a practice and a habit of protecting victims rather than treating them as criminals,” Harris added at the time.
Proposition K failed after 59% of San Francisco voters opposed it.
Harris has been slow to offer concrete policy proposals since becoming the Democratic nominee to replace President Biden in the 2024 election.
Her policy agenda does not mention prostitution at all, and her campaign declined to respond to several inquiries from The Washington Post about her current position.
