Can Kamala Harris Turn Democrats Into the Party of YIMBY?

As the housing crisis takes center stage in the presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to build 3 million affordable homes by the end of her first term, with some calling her a champion of the pro-housing YIMBY movement.
YIMBY, short for “Yes In My Backyard,” promotes increasing the housing supply by removing barriers to new construction. Harris’ apparent embrace of YIMBYism signals a potential shift in how Democrats approach housing policy.
“There is a serious housing shortage. In many places, it’s too difficult to build, and it’s driving prices up,” Harris said at a North Carolina rally on Friday. “I will work with industry to build the housing we need, both to rent and to buy. We will remove barriers and cut red tape, including at the state and local levels.”
Political commentator Anand Giridharadas highlighted Harris’ alignment with the movement in his newsletter The.Ink, writing, “Kamala Harris is a YIMBY.” He noted that the YIMBY approach is becoming central to the Democratic Party’s efforts to tackle the housing shortage.
“Housing policy is now a campaign issue, much like industrial policy has returned under Biden — because Democrats are realizing it’s important to do things people can feel in their everyday lives,” he said.
The United States is grappling with a severe housing shortage that has increased rents and home prices. Between late 2019 and mid-2021, home prices surged more than 40 percent, well before the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in 2022.
Advocates of the YIMBY movement, which began in San Francisco due to activists frustrated by soaring rents and a tight housing market, argue that restrictive zoning laws, often driven by NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) opposition, are major contributors to housing shortages and rising rents.
However, NIMBY attitudes are particularly common in affluent, progressive areas where Democrats hold significant influence. This conflict is particularly visible in California, where Democratic state leaders have pushed pro-housing legislation against resistance from local Democratic officials.
Some political commentators view Harris’ alleged embrace of YIMBYism as an opportunity, especially in swing states like Nevada and Arizona, where rising rents have outpaced income growth since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The idea of increasing supply and exploring federal action has been a mainstream Democratic position,” Bharat Ramamurti, a former deputy director of the National Economic Council under President Biden, told HuffPost. He praised the shift in the party’s priorities.
The Democratic housing policy approach was displayed during the Democratic National Convention in August 2024. There, Harris pledged to end the nation’s housing shortage and streamline processes that delay housing projects.
Former President Barack Obama also spoke on the issue at the DNC, emphasizing the need to build more homes and cut red tape. “If we want to make it easier for more young people to buy a home, we need to build more units and clear away outdated laws and regulations,” Obama said.
Obama proposed a similar plan before leaving office in 2017, but this may be the first time housing has taken center stage in a presidential election.
However, the YIMBY movement doesn’t align perfectly with other core Democratic themes, such as empowering workers and fighting Big Business.
Many Democrats represent urban and suburban areas where local homeowners and community groups, who usually vote Democratic, may oppose new developments—especially high-density housing—due to concerns about property values, neighborhood character, and traffic.
Moreover, while Harris has embraced some YIMBY principles, she also supports policies that YIMBY critics believe could exacerbate the housing crisis, such as federal rent control, which historically has reduced the housing supply.
Whether Harris can unite Democrats behind the YIMBY cause remains to be seen. However, her campaign has undoubtedly made housing a top issue, and she could claim ownership of the topic.
Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, have yet to provide specific details. Instead, they have focused on linking the housing crisis to immigration and blaming the Biden administration, including Harris, for high inflation and a low housing supply.
“Trump’s focus on immigration as a housing solution is particularly controversial,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert, recently told Newsweek. “While reducing population growth could theoretically lower housing demand, economists warn it could also deplete the construction workforce, exacerbating supply issues,” he added.
Whoever comes next must address the housing crisis, even if they can’t solve everything immediately. A Gallup poll from May found that the cost of owning or renting a home was the second-most important financial issue for Americans, following the high cost of living. With housing being a key concern, this issue will play a significant role in shaping voters’ decisions just two months before November.