Vice President Harris' loss in last week's presidential election poses a thorny dilemma for Democrats as they look to future election cycles, including the 2028 presidential election.
In two of the past three presidential elections, the Democratic Party has nominated a woman. I lost both times.
The only Democratic winner in these three elections was President Biden, a white man who was 77 years old at the time of his election.
These searing experiences create an uncomfortable reality for a party committed to gender equality as a central form of social progress, but also desperate to win.
It could also have a big impact in 2028, with at least one obvious female candidate, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D), who would instantly become the front-runner if she wins the nomination. will be one of them.
There are other women who could potentially run for office. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) have entered the 2020 nomination race. Representing a different progressive generation is 35-year-old Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D.Y.). . ).
Harris herself has said nothing about her political future and may argue that she faces an impossible political challenge this year.
However, it is certain that a female candidate will now face criticism that her nomination poses an unacceptable political risk to the party.
This whole situation is frustrating not only for Democrats but also for those concerned more generally about the status of women in the highest ranks of electoral politics.
Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics, argued that President-elect Trump used a number of gender- and racially-based attacks against Harris.
Walsh said the fact that these attacks were at least somewhat effective is “alarming” and that this is a “challenge that women and people of color will have to face in future campaigns.” added.
But Ms. Walsh also strongly objected to the perception that women bear a disproportionate political handicap.
He also noted the number of women who have served as governors and senators, as well as the historic role of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the first female speaker.
Walsh also said that the fact that Hillary Clinton lost the election in 2016 but won the popular vote by an overwhelming margin makes it difficult for women to be elected in any capacity. He emphasized that the idea that there is no such thing is wrong.
Mr Walsh added that the whole question was “complicated”.
“If you ask me, are Americans ready for a woman president to pull the lever, I think the answer is yes,” she said. “I don’t think there are any barriers that are so great that women can’t get elected.”
Regardless, last week's election was a huge disappointment for Democratic-leaning women for reasons beyond the results themselves.
The expected tsunami of female support for Harris on the basis of reproductive rights never materialized.
It's not clear why that didn't happen, but many saw the results as a sharp departure from the 2022 midterm elections, when Democrats outperformed expectations five months after the Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade. I was surprised.
Pre-election polls that suggested a Harris-Trump election would create the largest gender gap in modern history were also wrong.
Harris won women voters by an 8-point margin last week, according to a major exit poll conducted for a consortium of television networks. In 2020, Biden won by 15 points.
All of this, plus broader Republican criticism aimed at diversity itself, also appears to have made some mark, but at least failed to provoke a significant pro-Democratic backlash.
For example, Ms. Harris, an ardent Trump supporter, ended the political career of former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) by convincingly defeating her in the race. It was explicitly called a “DEI hireling” by Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.). Republican primary election.
The term “DEI hiring” refers to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, but it also serves as a less subtle way of implying that women and non-white Americans are being placed in positions where they are not worthy. I will.
The idea that diversity efforts themselves may have backfired against Democrats is a difficult issue for a party of ideals, and the Democratic nominee in 2008, then-Sen. It was. Barack Obama (Democrat, Illinois) became the United States' first black president.
More specifically, the danger is that the results of 2016 and 2024 will lead to women being seen as an inherently “dangerous” choice as presidential candidates.
Advocates for women in politics, like Ms. Walsh, believe that's unfair and outdated.
She recalled the 2020 Democratic primary, which had several credible female candidates.
“There was this ultimate fear of hearing from the Democratic Party, 'We need an electable person.' They are very risk-averse and view women and people of color as dangerous. “It was done,” she said.
This ultimately led to the nomination of Biden, who she claimed “may not have been the best choice, but was seen as the safest choice.”
With another female candidate losing, the danger for Democratic women is that the party will be reluctant to take that perceived risk again anytime soon.
This note is a reported column by Niall Stanage..
