The campaign of Kamala Harris for president is raising new questions about what it means to be a progressive prosecutor.
In a 2019 memoir, Kamala Harris wrote about her time as a prosecutor by saying she was there for the victims of crime, but that she was also there for the victims of a broken criminal justice system – describing herself as a "progressive prosecutor.”
"On some level I do see her as a kindred spirit. She spent a lot of time as a real prosecutor, and she actually tried cases," says Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter — a founding member of the Progressive Prosecutors for Justice. "So, I think there's a great wealth of experience there, and if she wields her experience to teach her humility and how to use power thoughtfully and not capriciously, I think she's going to be an outstanding candidate and a wonderful president."
But many criminal justice reform advocates are not so sure about her record, which includes prosecuting parents when their students were truant and notifying immigration authorities when undocumented juveniles were charged with felonies.
"I am personally enthusiastically voting for her in light of the alternative, but I think it's a big part of her identity is more the prosecutor mindset than the reform mindset," says Brad Haywood, chief public defender in Arlington and founder of Justice Forward Virginia. "That's always been my impression."
On the campaign trail, Harris is already drawing attention to her background as a prosecutor to highlight the difference between her and former President Donald Trump, who has been found guilty of 34 felony counts.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
