Overview
- Harris told the National Urban League conference on July 31 that the U.S. should “revisit” the Electoral College, expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices, and consider statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
- She said those proposals are part of a plan to counter what she described as Republican efforts to “cheat” and urged Democrats to be uncompromising about turnout and strategy for the 2026 midterms.
- Reporting shows Harris has been reaching out to progressive figures, including a June call with Zohran Mamdani and a private meeting with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as she gauges support if she runs again.
- Reaction in the press and among commentators has split, with some voices on PBS and elsewhere treating D.C./Puerto Rico statehood and court expansion as mainstream Democratic ideas and other outlets calling the proposals controversial or risky.
- The positions mark a move from Harris’s 2024 platform, when she backed term limits for justices rather than court expansion, and any change would require Congress and the president to act for statehood or to pass new laws to add justices.