On Wednesday’s “Balance of Power” broadcast on Bloomberg, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) defended Vice President Kamala Harris’ shift in views on fracking, explaining that it’s natural for perspectives to evolve with age and experience. Boyle noted that Harris, as a former California senator, had no direct exposure to fracking, which contrasts with her current role as Vice President.
Co-host Kailey Leinz inquired about the criticism Harris has faced for changing her stance on fracking, including Donald Trump’s claim that her previous views could hurt her chances in Pennsylvania. Leinz asked Boyle if he was concerned that this shift might negatively impact Harris’ prospects in the state.
Boyle answered, “So, first, I will say, and I say this as someone who’s a member of Congress from Philadelphia, where the fracking isn’t taking place, that’s largely in western Pennsylvania, 300 miles away. That said, when I was a state legislator, I was always a supporter of encouraging the development of our natural gas, which obviously involves fracking. One man’s flip-flop is another man’s evolution. And I welcome her evolving on this issue. It’s just natural that, as you age and as you grow and as you gain a different perspective — in her case, going from a senator representing California, she had no sort of exposure to fracking whatsoever, to then being a Vice President for the last three-and-a-half years for the nation, I would expect and certainly hope for an evolution on certain issues. I think it’s appropriate. And, at the end of the day, I think she arrived at the right place, both in terms of policy and politics.”
