2020 Vice Presidential prospects: on Crime


Kamala Harris: Tough prosecutor; but for reform as candidate

She is a former prosecutor, and her handling of cases involving police shootings of civilians while she was California's attorney general˙drew criticism from activists on the left, who argued that she was not aggressive enough in stepping in to overhaul rogue police departments and that she sided too frequently with police unions. Ms. Harris has said she was trying to effect change from "inside" government. "When we want to reform systems, it shouldn't and it can't only be from the outside on bended knee or trying to break down the door." As a Democratic presidential candidate, Ms. Harris released plans outlining her vision for criminal justice reform and how to "stand up for Black America." As part of the plans, Ms. Harris called for ending mass incarceration, cash bail and the death penalty; creating a national police systems review board; making attending historically Black colleges and universities debt-free for students; and many other measures.
Source: New York Times on 2020 Veepstakes Jul 21, 2020

Amy Klobuchar: Appealed conviction downgrading felony to avoid deportation

Elsayed Salim, was convicted of failing to declare a secondary income that put him above the threshold for welfare. A judge sentenced Salim to 364 days in jail--deliberately attempting to protect him from deportation by keeping his sentencing under a year which downgraded the case from a felony to a gross misdemeanor. Klobuchar appealed the decision, lobbying for an upgrade and condemning the state's judges for "letting offenders off the hook too easily." Mr. Salim was subsequently deported.
Source: MintPress News on 2020 Veepstakes May 27, 2020

Julian Castro: We must do something about "toxic brew of white nationalism"

There is this very toxic brew of white nationalism that is arising. And I know that doesn't reflect by any means, by any means the vast, vast majority of Americans. We need to pay attention to this, and we need to do something about this. The FBI director has said that this is a particular problem right now in the United States.
Source: Meet the Press interview for Democratic 2020 Veepstakes Aug 4, 2019

Sally Yates: Seeking justice means seeking a proportional sentence

[On criminal justice:] "Certainly we want to incentivize those who are in prison to participate in prison programs that will reduce recidivism," she said. "But that doesn't mean that we don't have an obligation to have a fair and proportional sentencing system in place on the front end. And I believe that our current system needs some adjustment in that regard."

"It's really essential we pair any back-end reform with meaningful front-end reform," Yates said later.

"At the risk of sounding really corny now, I'm a career prosecutor. I've been doing this for a very long time. And I believe in holding people responsible when they violate the law," she said. "But our sole responsibility is to seek justice. And sometimes that means a very lengthy sentence, for people who are dangerous and from which society must be protected. But it always means seeking a proportional sentence. And that's what this sentencing reform is really about."

Source: Buzzfeed blog on 2020 Veepstakes Jul 22, 2015

  • The above quotations are from Vice Presidential possibilities for 2020.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Crime.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Stacey Abrams on Crime.
  • Click here for more quotes by Mike Pence on Crime.
2020 Presidential contenders on Crime:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN) 		Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Nov 01, 2021