Kamala Harris Pressed on Prices, Immigration in Las Vegas Town Hall

(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris defended her record on immigration and health care in a town hall with Univision on Thursday, a bid to shore up her standing with Latino voters and counter Republican Donald Trump’s inroads with the crucial Democratic bloc.

The town hall in Las Vegas in swing-state Nevada is part of a western swing aimed in part at courting Hispanic voters, who boast sizable numbers in that state — and in Arizona, another key battleground — as well as blue-collar workers frustrated with President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy.

Trump’s campaign has been boosted by broad discontent among American voters, including Latinos, over the economy, in particular jobs and high prices for housing and other goods and services. And the Univision forum featured voters expressing frustration with the status quo, who said their groceries had become too expensive, that government health services were too difficult to procure, and even that they worried about Harris’ fast-track capture of the Democratic nomination after Biden opted to drop out of the race this summer.

The battle over the economy is particularly salient in Nevada, a state with a large number of service and hospitality industry workers. Both candidates made promises during past visits to the state to cut taxes on tips in a bid to court workers who have historically been reliant on gratuities for their income. 

“I know prices are too high still, and we have to deal with it,” Harris said. She detailed her proposals designed to limit price gouging at grocery stores and offer subsidies for home buyers.

Immigration is another issue that is front and center in Nevada, as Trump has seized on voter concerns about the border and a migrant surge. Trump has vowed to finish building the wall on the US-Mexico border, reinstate the ban on immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries and carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants if he is returned to power.

The Republican nominee has sought to tie Harris to the Biden administration’s policies on immigration, labeling her the “border czar” and highlighting cases of violent crime where migrants are suspects or been convicted.

Harris, asked how her immigration policy would be different from that of Biden, said she would view the issue through her experience as a prosecutor.

“I would put my record up against anyone in terms of the work I’ve always done and will always do to ensure we have a secure border,” Harris said.

But the vice president said her solution would largely mirror the bipartisan immigration bill negotiated by Biden, pivoting to criticism of Trump for his role in killing the legislation that would have surged resources to address the border crisis.

“There are real people who are suffering because of an inability to put solutions in front of politics,” Harris said. 

A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll in September found Nevada giving Harris her largest lead among any of the seven swing states expected to determine the election. Harris leads Trump in Nevada by 7 percentage points with a 52% to 45% split among likely voters.

The Univision town hall comes as Harris is ramping up her media appearances, seeking to breakthrough in a deadlocked race and connect with voters. On Tuesday, she appeared on five different programs during a trip to New York City. Trump is also slated to participate in a Univision town hall, which was postponed from an earlier date due to Hurricane Milton.

While Harris largely used the forum to champion policies she’s already detailed on the stump, she did seem flustered by the final question of the night: what she saw as three positive virtues of her Republican opponent.

Harris said that while she knew that people had “much more in common than what seperates us,” she was “pained” by Trump’s rhetoric.

“I think Donald Trump loves his family, and I think that’s very important,” she said. 

But, she continued, she didn’t know her Republican opponent well enough to add to the list.

“I only met him one time, on the debate stage. I’d never met him before, so I don’t really have much more to offer you,” Harris said.

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