Republicans are trying to define Vice President Kamala Harris as the "border czar" for her previous role in dealing with immigration. But while it may have been initially seen as a political liability at first, the now-Democratic nominee seems to be addressing the issue head-on along the campaign trail.
The new strategy represents a sharp turn around for the party, who had largely avoided the topic altogether. Now, the Vice President's campaign is reportedly adopting a persona familiar to her public figure: prosecutor.
"The vice president has a compelling story to tell about prosecuting transnational gangs and drug traffickers as the attorney general of a border state," a campaign official said. "That record will make it harder for the Trump camp's attacks on her to stick."
The imagery is already being promoted by Harris herself, who seemed more than joyous to talk about her repertoire as California's attorney general during an Atlanta rally last week, NBC News reports.
"In that job, I walked underground tunnels between the United States and Mexico," she said. "I went after transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers that came into our country illegally. I prosecuted them case after case, and I won."
Immigration has been a top issue of contention between Harris and her opponent, former president Donald Trump due to her previous involvement in the border.
Shortly after the Biden administration took office, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts with countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to tackle root causes of mass immigration in the region.
Immigration numbers would eventually explode, which led to the GOP trying to label her as "border czar," a nickname Democrats have rejected as she did not oversee border policies.
However, now that migrant crossings continue to drop dramatically due to asylum changes from the Biden administration, Harris' allies argue that Republicans are making an "active mistake" by trying to link her to them, NBC News reports.
"If you're going to say she's the 'border czar'," a Harris aide said, "she also knows that border crossings are at a record low."
At the same time, while Harris campaign officials may continue to be reluctant about directly comparing the success of Biden's messaging on the issue with hers, they do seem more optimistic and eager to talk about immigration, according to NBC News.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., for instance, says this is a clear opportunity to win over voters in November. He also believes swing voters may not like the immigration policies Trump promises, such as mass deportations.
"We have to prove that we are not just compassionate," Murphy said, "but that we are also tough."
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