Harris, Walz Agree to First Interview Since Launching Campaign

(L–R) Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz on the last day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

One week after giving her nomination acceptance speech on the closing day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris will be joined by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Aug. 29 for their first joint interview as candidates.

The CNN interview will be conducted by Dana Bash, the network’s chief political correspondent and anchor, at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. Harris and Walz are hitting the campaign trail this week on a bus tour that will take them through Georgia, a key battleground state in the fight for the Electoral College.

The unscripted exchange will be the first time Harris has sat with the media for an interview since President Joe Biden exited the race on July 21 and endorsed her as his successor.

Harris has moved fast in the 37 days since launching her campaign, facing a considerably shortened window of time to define herself and her platform, while seeking inroads with voters outside the Democratic Party’s base.

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), have criticized Harris for not taking extended interviews with the press, instead only giving limited gaggles with reporters during campaign travel.

“I think it’s really disgraceful,” Vance said during an early August campaign stop in Wisconsin, while also criticizing the media.

Trump and Vance have held multiple interviews and press conferences since the senator was elevated to the top of the Republican ticket at the party’s July convention.

Harris had said earlier this month that she would conduct a sit-down interview before the end of August, with the CNN conversation fulfilling that promise. Her campaign also said this week that she is actively preparing for her first interview with her Republican opponent, Trump, which will be hosted on ABC from Philadelphia on Sept. 10.

After seeing a slight boost in some national and battleground state polls following last week’s convention in Chicago, Harris is trying to thread the needle in one of the briefest major-party political campaigns in modern history. As of Aug. 27, her website still lacks a concrete platform, with many of her proposals coming in speeches and staff responses to press inquiries.

Harris has pushed for abortion access and reproductive rights, gun control, voting rights, immigration reform, border security, middle-class tax cuts and child tax credits, price gouging bans, and housing affordability in her recent proposals.

The interview with Bash will be Harris’ first opportunity to detail her platform in an extended format since becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

The vice president previously gave an interview to The Nation in June.