United States presidential candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris continues to engage the cryptocurrency community as part of her “Opportunity Economy” agenda.
On October 14, she is scheduled to meet with Black entrepreneurs in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she will discuss her support for Black-owned small businesses, cryptocurrency and digital asset regulation, as well as the federal legalization of cannabis.
Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of the Harris campaign, stated that this event is part of Harris’s “Opportunity Economy” initiative. According to a statement given to a local NPR affiliate in New Hampshire, Richmond explained that Harris is focused on building an economy where Black men have the tools they need to thrive. He highlighted the vice president’s commitment to helping Black men “buy a home, provide for their families, start a business, and build wealth.”
Harris’s stance on cryptocurrency has evolved since the start of her campaign. Initially seen as part of an anti-crypto stance within the U.S. government, her image has softened toward the industry.
As recently reported by Cointelegraph, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen contributed approximately $1 million worth of XRP to the Harris-Walz 2024 presidential campaign, indicating some within the crypto community view her as open to working on bipartisan legislation to regulate digital assets.
However, not everyone is convinced by Harris’s apparent “crypto pivot.”
Documents from the Harris campaign related to the Erie event suggest a nuanced stance on cryptocurrency. The wording on the campaign’s website emphasizes that her regulatory plan aims to protect those who “own” cryptocurrency, implying her focus is on safeguarding ownership rather than restricting it.
The campaign statement reads: “Supporting a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets so Black men who invest in and own these assets are protected.”