Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and a prime candidate to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate for the 2024 election, sidestepped multiple inquiries regarding the Democratic presidential nominee’s recent shifts in policy.
When asked about Harris’ previous positions, including her backing of Medicare for migrants, the decriminalization of illegal border crossing, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and a ban on fracking, Kelly refrained from indicating his stance on those issues.
“I’ve been addressing this matter for three and a half years,” Kelly stated to FOX Business on Thursday when questioned about Harris’ former immigration viewpoints. “As a senator from the border, I’m frequently in contact with sheriffs and mayors—working closely with them and this administration.”
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Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., declined to answer questions regarding extreme past policy positions of Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
“My border mayors are quite thankful for the actions this administration has taken. However, they are frustrated with the Republicans in the U.S. Senate who seem to be acting in accordance with Donald Trump just for electoral gains,” he added.
When pressed again about his support for Harris’ previously stated positions on Medicare for undocumented immigrants, the decriminalization of border crossings, and abolishing ICE, Kelly again chose not to respond.
In 2019, during Harris’ unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, she was asked if she would back Medicare for all, including unauthorized individuals in the country. Harris answered, “I’m against any policy that would deny any human being in our country access to public safety, public education, or public health, full stop.”
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Over 100 migrants rushed a border wall in El Paso, Texas, on March 21. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)
During her primary campaign, Harris also told “The View,” “I support the idea that we should not treat undocumented individuals crossing the border as criminals.”
In response to calls within her party to abolish ICE back in 2019, Harris remarked, “There’s no doubt that we need to reevaluate ICE critically, including how it functions and the tasks it undertakes.”
“We might even need to reconsider everything from the ground up,” she added.
Since then, Harris has seemingly reversed her stance on Medicare for all and has moved towards a more moderate Democratic position regarding ICE, border security, and the criminalization of border crossers while serving in the Biden administration. She publicly supported a bipartisan border security bill that Republicans ultimately opposed and her campaign indicated that recent executive actions related to restricting asylum processes would carry on under her administration.
Kelly claimed that he “definitely” agrees with Harris’ management of border issues as Vice President.
“Regarding the executive measures that we currently have in place at the border, I absolutely agree,” he noted.
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Harris was assigned early in the Biden administration to tackle the root causes of large-scale migration from Central and South America. (Reuters/Kevin Mohatt/Pool)
When questioned about Harris’ retraction of her former ban on fracking, Kelly again opted not to reply to Fox News Digital.
The Harris campaign recently asserted that she no longer supports a fracking ban, with a spokesperson explaining, “Trump’s misleading claims about fracking bans are an evident effort to divert attention from his own agenda to benefit oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class.”
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Kelly is among the candidates being evaluated to become Harris’ vice presidential running mate. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“This Administration has generated 300,000 energy jobs, while Trump’s term resulted in the loss of nearly a million, and his Project 2025 aims to dismantle the significant progress we’ve made over the last four years,” they continued.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is responsible for two-thirds of the U.S.’s marketed natural gas production and about half of its crude oil output, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
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“Without a doubt, I support banning fracking,” Harris stated in 2019 during her pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination.
Neither Kelly’s office nor the Harris campaign responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital by the time of publication.
Harris is anticipated to reveal her selected running mate by Tuesday, as she embarks on a four-day campaign tour across battleground states starting in Philadelphia.
Stay updated with the latest news from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
