Kamala Harris Criticizes Her Own Record On Criminal Justice Reform

Kamala Harris Criticizes Her Own Record On Criminal Justice Reform

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) has been talked about as a 2020 contender. Yet in order to emerge as a Democratic contender, she’ll have to overcome some harsh criticism of her record on criminal justice reform from an unusual source: herself. Speaking with David Axelrod on The Axe Files, Senator Harris admitted that during her time […]

March 9, 2017

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) has been talked about as a 2020 contender. Yet in order to emerge as a Democratic contender, she’ll have to overcome some harsh criticism of her record on criminal justice reform from an unusual source: herself.

Speaking with David Axelrod on The Axe Files, Senator Harris admitted that during her time as California’s Attorney General, the state had “not been a model of [criminal justice] reform”:

Harris is far from alone in critiquing her record on the issue. Even her a fellow Democratic Senator, Cory Booker, has admitted that Harris’ record on criminal justice reform was a problem:

“Cory Booker, the Democrats’ strongest voice in the Senate on criminal justice, takes the long view. ‘I know some people might think she’s not checking every box on the list for criminal-­justice reform,’ he told me.”

Harris’ meager record on this issue was also a problem for her during last year’s Senate race. During the race, it was noted that while there had been criminal justice reforms in California, “Harris’ role has not been pivotal.” Add all this up and you can already begin to see an attack line forming in a 2020 Democratic primary.