Vice-President Kamala Harris may have entered the race for presidential candidate late in the 2024 contest, but she’s sprinting in the final stretch against Republican rival Donald Trump.

Here are some of her key policy pledges to woo voters in the closely contested race for the White House:

Economy

In her convention acceptance speech, the vice president promised mortgage assistance for first-time homebuyers, a tax credit for parents of newborns, and bans on price gouging at the grocery store to help target inflation.

Harris added that her plans would create “an opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed”.

She has also pledged to cut taxes for tens of millions of middle- and low-income families, while saying she supports tax breaks for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Immigration and border security

Harris pledged she would tighten the border and fix America’s broken immigration system during her first visit to the US-Mexico border in September as a presidential candidate. She has also warned of “consequences” for people who enter the country illegally.

As vice president, Harris was tasked with addressing the root causes of migration. Trump and Republicans blame her for the situation at the border, describing it as overrun as a result of Biden’s overly lenient immigration policies.

She has supported President Joe Biden’s plan to tighten immigration policy, notably by investing in physical barriers on the border.

Abortion

Harris has long supported abortion rights and has made it central to her campaign. She continues to advocate for legislation that would safeguard reproductive rights nationwide.

“When Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as president of the United States, I will sign it into law,” she said at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

Harris has also pledged to protect access to contraception and other fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Foreign Policy

Harris has vowed to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, and has fully aligned herself with the Biden administration’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.

The vice president has also pledged, if elected, to reject isolationism and ensure that “America — not China — wins the competition for the 21st Century”.

As vice president, she has met 150 world leaders and visited 21 countries.

Israel-Gaza conflict

While both Trump and Harris have offered continued backing of Israel, the vice president has drawn more attention to the suffering of Palestinians.

Harris has said the US will always defend Israel’s right to defend itself but has also been more vocal in expressing empathy for the more than 43,000 Palestinians killed during the year-long conflict that has deeply divided her party.

She supports a two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state.

However, she has not supported the arms embargo on Israel which some on the US left want.

Climate and energy policies

The United States is the world’s second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind China, but neither candidate has outlined a comprehensive platform on the issue.

Harris has promoted the “Inflation Reduction Act” of President Joe Biden, which has driven investment in green energy.

She “is committed to continuing and building upon the United States’ international climate leadership,” according to her campaign website.

Harris said she will protect public lands and public health, lower household energy costs and hold polluters accountable to secure clear air and water if elected in November, according to her policy document.

Gun laws

In the White House, Harris helped deliver the largest investment in public safety ever, investing $15 billion in supporting local law enforcement and community safety programs across 1,000 cities, towns, and counties.

She also encouraged states to tap into $750m in federal funds that the Biden-Harris administration made available for crisis intervention programmes.

Her policy platform includes a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as a requirement for universal background checks.

During the debate, she noted that both she and her vice presidential nominee Tim Walz are gun owners.