Credit: NPR

Democratic Party nominee for president, Kamala Harris, and her Republican counterpart Donald Trump.

A policy guide to candidates for the U.S. presidency

Kamala Harris is the Democratic Party nominee and Donald Trump is standing at the head of the Republican ticket. But what does each stand for?

By EMILY GINLEY - posted October 7, 2024

With four weeks until eligible U.S. citizens go to the polls Nov. 5, who will they be voting for — the Democratic Party nominee, current Vice President Kamala Harris, or former U.S. president Donald Trump?

Putting aside obvious differences like their age and gender, what does each stand for, and what kinds of policies can a voter expect from each, depending on who becomes president?

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris is the 49th vice president of the United States. She graduated from Howard University and then the University of California's Hastings College of the Law. She became the first woman, the first African American and the first Asian American to hold the title of San Francisco’s district attorney and the attorney general of California.

“My mother would look at me and she’d say ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last,’” Harris said during her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Harris' campaign website says, if elected, as president she will advocate for a “New Way Forward.” She aims to protect fundamental freedoms, strengthen democracy and assist the American people to “get ahead, not just get by.”

“I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris said during the Democratic National Convention.

Harris plans to protect reproductive freedoms, continue the current administration's bipartisan border security policies, raise the minimum wage, advocate for economic equity, and support small businesses.

“Look, I am a capitalist. I believe in free and fair markets," Harris said during a speech at the New York Times DealBook Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I believe in consistent and transparent rules of the road to create a stable business environment."

Donald Trump

Donald Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and is a businessman and real estate developer and entrepreneur. His developments include hotels, resorts, residential and commercial buildings, casinos and golf courses.

In 2016, he was elected the 45th U.S. president, serving one term before Joe Biden beat him the the 2020 election, a loss Trump has yet to accept. At a rally in Michigan on Thursday, Trump said, "You have to tell Kamala Harris, that's why I'm doing it again, if I thought I lost, I wouldn't be doing this again."

“Remember there’s no such thing as an unrealistic goal, just unrealistic time frames,” Trump said at the "Make America Great Again" rally in North Dakota.

Trump's campaign website cites as his reasons for running “(our) disastrously open border, our weakened economy, crippling restrictions on American energy production and our depleted military.” He is campaigning on a promise to “Make America Great Again.”

“We are going to rebuild our cities into beacons of hope, safety and beauty better than they’ve ever been before,” Trump said during a MAGA rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Trump says he plans to grow the economy, seal the border, deport illegal immigrants, repeal and replace the affordable healthcare act, strengthen law and order, prevent world war 3 and keep men out of women's sports.

“America’s future will be bigger, better, bolder, brighter, happier, stronger, freer, greater and more united than ever before,” Trump said during his nomination acceptance speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Each candidate, based on their values and priorities, says they will improve the lives of Americans. The American people will decide who has made the better argument Nov. 5.

To ensure your vote counts, see The Stater's election guide or visit the Ohio voter registration site.