Harris declines to reveal how she voted on California's proposal to increase penalties

CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris declined Sunday to say how she voted on Proposition 36, a California ballot initiative that would allow increased sentences for people convicted of retail theft or drug offenses.

“I'm not going to talk about the vote because, frankly, it's the Sunday before the election and I don't plan on building support for it one way or another,” she told reporters in Detroit after the election suggestion was asked.

Harris, a former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, spoke about her vote, saying, “Actually, I just filled out my mail-in ballot” and mailed it to California, her home state.

Proposition 36 would increase punishment for certain thefts and drug crimes by classifying them as felonies rather than misdemeanors. Courts would also have to warn people who sell illegal substances that they could be charged with murder if the substance kills someone.

The measure would change parts of Proposition 47, a controversial initiative passed by California voters in 2014 to reduce prison overcrowding by reducing sentences for some crimes.

Proposition 36's backers include district attorneys, Republican lawmakers and major retail chains like Walmart, which pushed back against a Covid-era surge in shoplifting that eased last year. But she also has support from a handful of Democratic mayors, including San Francisco's London Breed, who faces a tough re-election campaign.

Opponents, including Democratic leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately incarcerate poor people and people with drug problems.

In her political career, Harris has tried to draw a line between portraying a tough-talking prosecutor and a progressive politician.

Harris began her presidential campaign by promoting her career as a prosecutor, hoping to draw a contrast between her record and former President Donald Trump's numerous criminal cases.

As a prosecutor, Harris took what she called a “smart on crime” approach to prosecutions. This included launching a program aimed at getting nonviolent offenders into job training and out of prison, as well as releasing nationwide criminal justice data to strengthen government accountability.

Republicans have sought to link crime to immigration this election cycle, using Harris' time as prosecutor and attorney general in a border state as a broader attack on the way Democrats have handled crime across the country.

On the other hand, progressive activists and civil rights activists have criticized some of her actions during her time as California's top police officer, which caused her to lose some supporters when she ran in the 2019 Democratic presidential primary.

Sam Fossum of CNN and The Associated Press contributed to this report.