3 takeaways from Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s first major interview

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared Thursday in her first major interview since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. Harris sat for the CNN interview alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).
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It was a much-anticipated conversation, given that Harris has yet to lay out an extensive policy agenda and given the dearth of questions she has answered during her five-plus weeks as the Democratic standard-bearer.

Below are some takeaways.
1. Harris suggested that, while her policies have changed, her values haven’t.

2. She walked a very fine line on ‘change’. Harris has walked a very fine line in this campaign. She has sought to run as something of a “change” candidate despite her high-ranking role for the past 3½ years as vice president to Joe Biden, who is not a popular or well-reviewed president.

3. They sought to do no harm, and probably didn’t. In some ways, this was about just getting the first big interview out of the way. Harris has been under pressure for not taking more media questions for weeks — creating plenty of anticipation for this sit-down — and as noted above, there were a number of lingering issues that just haven’t been addressed in speeches and other campaign appearances.

Harris has also seen a sudden surge in popularity after years of being an unpopular vice president, which fueled questions about whether that would hold up amid more direct scrutiny.

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