As the presidential campaign intensifies, the focus has shifted to the economy, with Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris prominently featuring in the discussions. Specifically, Trump has been using Harris's association with a California law that he claims permits shoplifting up to $950 without repercussions as a strategy to criticize her stance on criminal justice, portraying her as part of the "radical left."
Trump's repeated attacks on Harris's supposed leniency towards criminals are centered around California's Proposition 47, a ballot initiative passed in 2014 in response to a Supreme Court mandate to reduce the state's prison population. Under Proposition 47, theft of goods worth $950 or less was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, with the goal of alleviating prison overcrowding and saving taxpayer dollars. However, it's crucial to note that Harris, as the attorney general at the time, played a limited role in the initiative, mainly concerning the initiative’s title and signature verification, but was not directly involved in drafting or endorsing the law.
It's important to recognize that the focus on Proposition 47 and Harris's involvement in it is part of a broader political strategy as both Trump and Harris aim to appeal to voters concerned about crime. The economy and crime have emerged as key issues for voters, with recent surveys indicating a significant percentage citing crime as a major factor in their decision-making for the upcoming presidential election.