In the upcoming and already eventful 2024 United States Presidential Election, both major party candidates have been frequently accused of being coy, vague, or even outright ignoring various issues. The recent Presidential debate has been cited by the media as physical evidence of the candidates doing exactly that. However, with extensive research, both candidates’ positions can be coherently discovered. Seeing as it’s (probably) a good idea to know a candidate’s position on the issues before you vote for them or not, I researched and compiled their positions for you.
Crime and Law
A centerpiece of Harris’ campaign is the ‘Prosecutor vs Felon’ dynamic. If you don’t know what that is, basically, it’s hitting on Trump’s 34 felony convictions from the State of New York, while also mentioning how she was the Attorney General of California, locking up rapists and murderers. Walz has been a champion of crime reform during his tenure in the Governor’s Mansion of Minnesota. Harris has stated support for the EQUAL Act, which eliminates disparities between certain drug offenses. In terms of firearm laws, Harris supports red flag laws and an Assault Weapons ban, while also countering fears that she’d repeal the 2nd Amendment by highlighting that she is a gun owner, and has said that if anyone were to break into her house, she’d shoot them. Walz in particular is a prolific gun owner, being an avid hunter and competition shooter, winning dozens of marksmanship competitions during his time in the House of Representatives. Trump, meanwhile, is in a bit of a delicate situation when it comes to the overall topic, given his previously stated convictions. His overall position is a bit nuanced, however at times it can be considered harsh. On one hand, during his first Administration, he signed the First Step Act into law and voiced support for rehabilitation-focused initiatives for nonviolent offenders. On the other hand, however, he’s called for the execution of drug dealers and has overall been quite hard in rhetoric when it comes to violent offenders. He is a supporter of gun rights, just like Harris and Walz he owns guns, as is Vance, however, they are staunchly opposed to most firearm regulations. They have repeatedly proposed to cut down on these regulations.
