DC Voters for Animals Endorses Harris/Walz Presidential Ticket
Washington, DC – August 20, 2024: DC Voters for Animals, the district’s leading advocacy group championing animal rights and plant-based norms, is proud to announce its endorsement of the Harris/Walz presidential ticket in the upcoming 2024 election. This decision reflects a consideration of the candidates’ records, with a strong emphasis on the accomplishments of Senator Kamala Harris, and a nuanced recognition of Governor Tim Walz’s mixed record on animal protection.
Kamala Harris as an Advocate for Animals
Consistently scoring 100 on the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s congressional scorecard as Senator, Kamala Harris sponsored several pieces of animal-friendly legislation. Highlights include:
Help Extract Animals from Red Tape (HEART) Act: Expedites the care for animals siezed from animal-fighting operations.
Pet and Women (PAWS) Act (passed in 2018): This protects victims of domestic violence from threats against their pets.
Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (passed in 2020): Standardizes federal oversight of horse racing to oversee drug enforcement and doping of horses.
Big Cat Public Safety Act (passed in 2022): Prohibits private ownership and restricts public interaction with big cats to prevent abuse.
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act (passed in 2019): Criminalizes animal cruelty involved in making so-called "crush videos" where animals are tortured on camera.
As California’s Attorney General, Harris defended the state's vanguard of laws to protect animals, including the prohibition on foie gras that the industry fought for more than a decade, the ballot initiatives to protect animals from being held in extreme confinement such as pigs in gestation crates and egg-laying hens in battery cages, and the ban on the shark fin trade that laid the groundwork for a federal ban. This is a promising record suggesting that as our nation’s chief executive, Harris and her administration would fight to uphold animal protection laws.
Personally, Harris told supporters she was “vegan before 6pm” and encouraged Americans to reduce meat consumption during her 2020 presidential campaign.
Tim Walz: A Balanced Perspective
While Governor Tim Walz’s history on animal protection is mixed, DC Voters for Animals recognizes that many of his efforts relate directly to our work in the District. As governor, Walz signed legislation to improve tracking and reporting of fur factory farms in Minnesota, aligning with the DC initiative to protect animal from the fur industry with the Fur Products Prohibition Act. His two rescue pets, Honey the cat and Scout the dog, show congruence with DC’s recent law that requires pet stores to stop selling animals from puppy mills and only offer rescued animals. Walz has also come out in opposition to hunting wolves.
We believe that the Harris/Walz ticket, with Vice President Harris’s steadfast commitment to animal welfare and Governor Walz’s pragmatic approach, offers a unique opportunity to protect animals on a national scale. Our endorsement is a call for continued advocacy and dialogue to ensure that both candidates prioritize society’s growing connection to rights for animals and plant-based initiatives as they seek the highest offices in the land.
A Vision for a Compassionate Future
DC Voters for Animals is committed to building a compassionate, sustainable future where animals are protected, and plant-based norms are widely embraced. We believe that the Harris/Walz ticket, with its potential to influence federal policy, represents the best path forward for achieving these goals. Our endorsement is not only a vote of confidence in their leadership but also a pledge to hold them accountable to the values we share.
As we approach the 2024 election, we urge our supporters and all voters who care about animals and the environment to support the Harris/Walz ticket. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the future of animal rights and plant-based living in America.
##
About DC Voters for Animals
DC Voters for Animals lifts up the policies and politicians doing the most for animals and our community in DC. We advocate for all animals, including companion animals such as cats and dogs, animals in farms and labs such as chickens and beagles, and wildlife such as foxes and deer.