Harris runs away from Biden’s image by refocusing on economy

Vice President Kamala Harris has recalibrated the Democratic ticket by focusing on the economy, separating herself from President Joe Biden‘s former campaign.

Biden has attempted to make “Bidenomics” a key focus of his campaign, but as feelings on Biden’s handling of the economy continued to be negative, he shifted his focus to other matters, like democracy and abortion. With Harris elevated to the top spot on the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out last month, she has put much of her early focus on the economy — while distancing herself from the president’s economic record.

During Harris’s speeches, and in a recent ad shared by her campaign, she touted her working experience — including working at McDonald’s while getting her college degree — as evidence of how she claims to understand middle-class workers.

“She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree. Kamala Harris knows what it’s like to be middle class,” a narrator said during a Harris campaign ad.

Harris also received a boost in morale in her economy messaging, with a Financial Times survey showed voters trust Harris’s handling of the economy over former President Donald Trump’s handling, 42%-41%.

While Harris has the edge in that survey, most polls have typically shown Trump with the edge over Harris, including a CNBC poll which showed 40% believe they would be financially better off with Trump, compared to 21% who said they would be financially better off with Harris.

The Financial Times poll appears to have been enough for Harris to continue with her economic focus, with her upcoming campaign speech in North Carolina on Friday reportedly centering around lowering costs.

Even as she creates an independent image from Biden, she is also holding her first joint event with the president since he dropped out of the race, when the pair will discuss lowering costs in deep blue Prince George’s County, Maryland, on Thursday. The event will be a White House event, rather than a campaign event.

While she has made a push to make the economy a winning issue for her campaign, the Trump campaign has continued to argue she is tied to Biden’s economic policy and that her policies would hurt the economy.

“America cannot afford another four years of Kamala’s failed economic policies. President Trump has a proven track record of making this country prosperous and affordable, and Americans can trust him to put more money back in their pockets again,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday.

Despite entering the race more than three weeks ago and picking a running mate, Harris has yet to release the policies that she would enact if elected in November. The Harris campaign website, as of Wednesday morning, has tabs about Harris and her running mate, along with pages for volunteering, a store, events, and donating, but does not have a list of her policies.

Harris’s policies will likely become known when the Democratic Party’s platform is adopted at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Republican Party’s platform, which was adopted last month, was heavily influenced by their presidential nominee, Trump, and the same will likely be true for the Democrats.