Influential and well-accredited economists throughout the United States continue to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as Election Day is right around the corner. 82 Nobel Peace Prize winners, including 23 economists, have openly shared statements of support for Harris.

Article by Ella Doda, Senior Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON - On Thursday, October 24th, 82 Nobel Prize winners released a public letter endorsing Kamala Harris. Among the list were distinguished chemists, economists, doctors, and physicists; 23 economists called Harris’s economic plan “vastly superior” to her opponent, former President Donald Trump. They emphasized the value of science in creating public policy and pushing forth initiatives.

The letter strongly supported Harris stating that advances in science and technology go hand in hand with budgetary support from the federal government. This is critical to maintaining America’s leadership and stability from the perspective of the Nobel Prize winners. They have additionally praised Harris for her immigration policies and the importance of their involvement in scientific advancement. Within the letter is a sense of urgency and a calling to the public to continue taking action and educating Americans on the economic policies of both Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump.

In a separate letter to the public, 23 Nobel Prize -winning economists endorsed Harris again for her specific economic policies compared to Trump’s. Despite different economic policies between the recipients, they overall believe that Harris’s economic agenda is stronger and better for the well-being of the nation and Americans. The economists write, “Harris’s policies will result in a stronger economic performance, with economic growth that is more robust, more sustainable, and more equitable.”

Among the 23 economists endorsing Harris are Daron Acemoglu (2024), Douglas Diamond (2022), Guido W. Imbens (2021), Abhijit Banerjee (2019), and William D. Nordhaus (2018), who have won the Nobel Prize in the past five years during both President Joe Biden’s presidency and former President Trump’s. Many of the economists who endorsed Harris criticize Trump’s agenda for higher tariffs, especially his proposed 60% tariff on goods from China, 100% tariffs on Mexican-made foods, and 20% on everything imported by the United States. He claims that “Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented,” however, many Americans worry that tariffs would benefit the upper-class, but could risk ruining trade deals with major importing countries.

Daron Acemoglu, the 2024 Nobel Prize winner, is a Turkish-American economist specializing in a wide range of areas within economics, including but not limited to, political economy, human capital theory, growth theory, and innovation. In an interview with CNN this past October, Acemoglu explained why he’s backing Harris to become the 47th president. He said the decision came easily for him in this election for two main reasons: policy, and more importantly, institutions. Acemoglu’s research focuses heavily on institutions and he fears that Trump’s economic policies may be detrimental to the future of institutions across the United States. He claims that he hasn’t seen such steep tariffs since the first decades after World War II. President Trump said he plans on setting a tariff of 25 percent on Mexico over immigration, despite it being the country’s largest trading partner. If that didn’t work, he threatened up to 100 percent tariffs.

Various other influential economists and scientists have come forward to endorse Kamala Harris’s economic agenda, advocating for a sustainable and equitable economy that increases the life expectancy and well-being of Americans.