In an attempt to distance herself from the economic ruin she had a hand in creating, Vice President Kamala Harris is positioning herself as the small business candidate. That’s a good strategy, given that there are more than 33 million small businesses in the United States, and tens of millions more if you include entrepreneurial gig workers. But one cannot just wave a magic wand and become something.
This matters to not only those entrepreneurs who want to work flexibly, but also to small businesses that rely on contractors. Harris has also been clear that she is a supporter of the PRO Act, which includes much of the anti- independent contractor language from California’s AB 5 rule, which aims to take away work flexibility on the national level. Harris’s flagship proposal purportedly demonstrating her support of small business rests on increasing a startup expense credit.