Kamala Harris Unveils First Major Economic Plan as Presidential Candidate

Vice President Kamala Harris will speak in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday to announce her economic portfolio. It will be the first time Harris has unveiled major policy initiatives since President Biden dropped out of the race last month.

Harris is expected to announce that tackling inflation will be a priority “Day One.” According to details provided by a Harris-Waltz campaign official, she will also lay out a plan to reduce costs for middle-class families, crack down on corporate price gouging and focus on lowering costs for Americans overall.

According to a new CBS News poll, only 9% of registered voters rate the state of the nation’s economy as “very good,” and the economy and inflation have consistently ranked as top concerns in every 2024 polls. Inflation has slowed from its peak in June 2022, but many voters still feel financial strain. Overall prices are still 20% higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday’s comments on economic policy came after Harris pledged to repeal the tip tax and raise the minimum wage at a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. So far, they have only two economic policy proposals.

“When I am president, we will continue our fight for working families including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris said at a rally attended by members of the Nevada Culinary Union.

A Harris-Walz campaign official added that her campaign pledges require legislation.

This is the first time Harris has proposed eliminating the tip tax for service workers, a similar idea first floated by former President Donald Trump at a Las Vegas rally in June.

Lawmakers will likely pass a tax bill in 2025, as some of the tax reforms made during Trump’s 2017 administration are set to expire. Control of Congress is crucial on this issue, as Republicans won control of the House, Senate and White House when Trump’s 2017 tax cuts were enacted.

Since becoming a presidential candidate, Harris has emphasized her promise to serve the middle class while campaigning in battleground states.

“When I am president, I will continue that work to bring down prices,” Harris said at a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday. “I will take on big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging. I will take on corporate landlords that unfairly raise rents on working families. I will take on Big Pharma and cap the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans.

In addition, Harris assured the more than 15,000 in attendance, saying, “unlike Donald Trump, I will always put the middle class and working families first.”

Voters in battleground states frequently tell CBS News that their top concern when casting their votes is still the status of the economy.

“Workforce development, creating job opportunities, making sure everyone can advance in different career fields, ” said Abraham Camejo in Las Vegas ahead of Harris` rally on Saturday when asked about economic priorities. “The policies that benefit big corporations and the middle class are different.”

In terms of policies that will help people’s wallets, a CBS News survey shows that Harris is trailing Trump by 25% to 45% among registered voters who believe the former president would have improved their financial situation.

Before announcing her candidacy for president, Harris set out on an Economic Opportunity tour in 2024 to highlight the achievements of the Biden-Harris government and respond to the primary concerns of the electorate on the economy. During that time, Harris was running for office alongside Joe Biden.