At every step of her political career, Kamala Harris has faced the same question: What sort of prosecutor was she? As a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, the vice president has been called both "soft" and "tough" on crime."
Now, as Harris' record as a prosecutor looms large in the presidential race, many voters say they don't know what she stands for, and that her opponent, former President Trump - a convicted felon who talks tough on crime - seems more willing to go after criminals.
According to more than a dozen people who knew Harris as a prosecutor - who hired her, worked alongside her, ran against her or worked for her - such claims are meritless. They say defining her as a prosecutor is complicated because she never fit neatly into any political box.
Critics have suggested Harris' rise had more to do with political savvy - or her relationship with powerful friends - than with her record as a prosecutor or her stance on crime.
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