In a significant development in Vice President Kamala Harris’s re-election campaign, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux of Tulare County, California, publicly criticized her stance on law enforcement and border security, despite featuring in one of her recent campaign ads.
The ad, which highlights Harris’s background as a prosecutor, shows her standing alongside police officers and claims that she will leverage her experience to “fix” the southern border, focusing on cracking down on fentanyl and human trafficking and hiring thousands more border agents.
However, Sheriff Boudreaux, who appeared in the ad, swiftly disavowed the portrayal, stating that the ad misrepresents his support for the vice president.
“Ads featuring Kamala Harris standing with me and other California sheriffs to defend her weakness on the border are being promoted,” Boudreaux stated, emphasizing that he did not support her policies.
He criticized Harris’s tenure as California’s attorney general, specifically pointing to her decision to cut funding and disband task forces designed to protect citizens and manage border security. According to Boudreaux, Harris’s actions left the southern border vulnerable, undermining law enforcement efforts.
Boudreaux, a former Republican who ran for Congress before suspending his campaign in July, further lambasted Harris’s attempts to present herself as “tough on the border.”
He said, “It is pitiful that Kamala is trying to portray herself as tough on the border by suggesting that I and the nearby law enforcement officers support her.”
The criticism adds to the ongoing tensions between local law enforcement and federal leadership on border issues, particularly around the handling of immigration and security.
Boudreaux’s public rebuke highlights the complexity of building bipartisan support for border security measures, a challenge that Harris’s campaign will likely face as it continues to highlight her prosecutorial record.
The National Desk reached out to Harris’s campaign for comment, but as of now, there has been no official response.