Harris pitches herself as ‘pragmatic capitalist’ in push for Latino voters

Vice President Harris is pitching herself as a “pragmatic capitalist” in a Noticias Telemundo interview as she looks to court Latino voters less than two weeks out from the election.

“I am a capitalist. I am a pragmatic capitalist,” Harris said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo’s Julio Vaqueiro, when asked to describe her political ideology.

In the interview, set to air in full later Wednesday, Vaqueiro asked if Harris defined herself as a “progressive,” “socialist” or “moderate.”

Harris dodged using any of those labels in her response.

“I believe that we need a new generation of leadership in America that actively works with the private sector to build up the new industries of America, to build up small business owners, to allow us to increase home ownership, to allow people and their families to build intergenerational wealth,” Harris said.

The vice president offered some policy specifics aimed at courting Latinos, including assessing which federal government jobs should require college degrees and encouraging companies to take a similar approach and offering a $50,000 tax deduction for those starting up their own small businesses.

She also echoed several other policy proposals that she’s previously announced, including a $25,000 homeowner credit for first-time buyers and expanding the child tax credit.

Pressed again at one point about the labels “progressive” or “moderate,” Harris told Vaqueiro, “I believe in the freedom of people to make decisions about their own bodies and women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do.”

“I believe that we must stand strong as the United States of America, support our military, and, unlike Donald Trump, should not be referring to service members as ‘suckers’ and ‘losers.’”

Harris’s interview with Noticias Telemundo is part of a larger campaign to appeal to Latino voters, who will play a critical role in states like Nevada and Arizona in determining who returns to the White House.

Both Harris and Trump have participated in town halls with Univision. Trump held a Latino roundtable in Florida on Tuesday, and Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), and some of her surrogates have participated in appearances with Latino media.

“I … cannot emphasize more strongly, the Latino vote in this election is very important,” Harris said in the Noticias Telemundo interview. “And I know well enough that the people that we are talking about believe in our country, love our country, are dedicated to its growth, its prosperity, and the opportunity that everyone should have to dignity and the ability to be treated with respect. And that is not Donald Trump’s future.”

Harris also refuted the idea that Trump was making gains with Latino voters, saying “this is not my experience.”

“My experience is I talk with Latino voters every day, all the time, and there is an incredible amount of support there, because Latino voters understand that they want a president of the United States who treats all people with dignity, with respect, and invests in their dreams for themselves and their family.”