## Vance Critiques Harris’ Campaign Strategies in Pennsylvania
During a recent campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, Senator JD Vance of Ohio criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for adopting what he termed a “copycat campaign.” This comes on the heels of her team announcing shifts in her positions on several policy issues, notably around electric vehicles.
Vance addressed voters by discussing critical topics such as the American trucking sector and overarching energy policies affecting everyday citizens. He expressed strong opposition to electric vehicle mandates, claiming they would result in increased costs for diesel and gasoline while pressuring truckers to transition to electric vehicles.
## Shifting Policies Under Scrutiny
In December 2021, Harris spearheaded the Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan with an ambitious goal: ensuring that 50% of new car sales by 2030 would be electric. In alignment with this agenda, the Biden-Harris administration enacted recent regulations requiring that half of all new vehicle sales be electrified by 2024.
Conversely, Ammar Moussa—rapid response director for Harris’ campaign—attempted damage control in a fact-checking email where he asserted that the vice president “does not support an electric vehicle mandate,” despite her prior advocacy for increasing EVs on U.S. roads.
## Political Parallels to Trump
Vance pointedly remarked at his rally that Harris had seemingly aligned herself with former President Donald Trump over recent weeks across various issues including fracking and Medicare policies. “If you review her actions lately,” he stated, “it’s evident she’s trying to mirror Trump’s positions.”
This shift has raised eyebrows among both supporters and critics alike regarding authenticity within campaigns.
Vance further argued against the viability of mandating electric trucks for drivers saying it would exacerbate existing inflationary pressures and threaten livelihoods within the trucking industry itself: “If we compel these skilled truckers to switch from their trusted vehicles to costly electric ones right now,” he warned, “we’ll only worsen our economic struggles.”
## A Vision Against Regulations
The senator made clear his administration’s stance against what he described as job-eroding regulations like those targeting traditional trucks under an EV mandate: “Without allowing our truckers to operate freely as they currently do,” Vance stressed passionately during his speech, “there simply isn’t a robust economy.”
In light of claims accusing them of duplicating Trump’s policies or rhetoric, a spokesperson from Harris’ camp was quick to highlight critical differences between their approach versus that of Vance and Trump: “Vice President Kamala Harris stands firmly on maintaining abortion rights rather than dismantling them; she favors tax breaks over increases which could burden middle-class Americans.”
## Campaign Trail Focused on Key States
Senator Vance’s appearance further emphasizes his strategy as candidates head into battleground states ahead of upcoming elections; this visit followed another engagement targeting rural populations just days prior in Big Rapids, Michigan.
