With Kamala Harris's nomination a fait accompli, the possibility of electing the first female president of the United States – a woman of color – loomed large.
The United States is one of the last major democracies in the world that has never elected a woman as head of government.
Will Kamala Harris’s gender and ethnicity be obstacles to her election? There are good reasons to believe not, and that Americans are ready.
Why not?
With the election and re-election of Barack Obama, the taboo regarding an African-American president was broken.
As for electing a woman, although Hillary Clinton lost the Electoral College in 2016 by a narrow margin, she won the popular vote by 3 million votes.
And let’s also remember that the person who has the best hypothetical polling against Trump is a black woman, Michelle Obama – who, by the way, has given Harris her full endorsement. In short, a woman of color, why not?
Sexism and racism
This does not prevent Republican leaders from doubling down on sexist and racist attacks against Kamala Harris. Notably, they repeatedly say that she owes her professional and political success to the EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) criteria, a thinly veiled call for racism.
As for sexism, I will refrain here from referring to the insinuations circulating about Harris's career rise, which no woman who has climbed the ladder of power seems to be able to escape.
J.D. Vance—the vice presidential candidate whom Trump is said to be regretting nominating—is playing the sexist card full force by denouncing Harris because she is childless and does not fit the old image of a docile wife. If this continues, Vance’s old-fashioned ideas about women and family could lead his team to defeat.
off to a good start
It’s not all over, but Kamala Harris’s campaign is off to a strong start, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Donald Trump has been caught off guard. As proof, he has yet to find an effective nickname for Harris to make his insults sound like a mixture of racism and sexism. And, of course, he has also revived the ridiculous allegations of incompetence he leveled at Barack Obama.
Clearly, all transgressions of norms are permissible for Trump and the media allows many to pass, but Republican efforts to excite their base by appealing to values that the majority of Americans have abandoned should not be in vain.
Victory is not a given for Kamala Harris, but if her opponents rely on her identity as a woman of color, they will hit a wall.
