Pinpointing differences in the economic views of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden is no easy task: the two have promoted the same ideas and touted the same accomplishments for the past three-and-a-half years. But give this to Ms Harris: she seems capable of wrapping their wide set of policies, from semiconductor subsidies to student-debt cancellation, in more attractive packaging than her boss did. Mr Biden called it his “build back better” agenda, a mouthful that never caught on. In recent speeches on economics the backdrop behind Ms Harris has displayed a more elegant phrase: “freedom to thrive”.

Whether or not that becomes a slogan in her presidential campaign, people who have worked with Ms Harris say it encapsulates her philosophy and her approach to economic policy. She would aim for an extension, not a refashioning, of Bidenomics. Mr Biden delivered one half of his programme, with large investments in American infrastructure, manufacturing and green energy. Ms Harris would continue that, now mostly in its implementation phase. But her main focus would be on the other half of his programme, a social agenda left largely unconsummated.