During the DNC, Hillary Clinton was hoping Kamala Harris would finally shatter the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” in American politics and become the first female President of the United States. Now, recalling the history she had made by becoming the first woman to win a major party nomination for president, Clinton looked back on that moment in history.
She said, in a speech, how far things had come from when she launched her 2016 presidential bid. Historic—in its way—for having lost to Donald Trump, now Clinton implored the crowd in Chicago to pass the torch to Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party sought to elect the first female president. “Together, we’ve put a lot of cracks in that highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States.”.
The political landscape has shifted since Clinton’s time. That shows in the 2024 DNC, probably most strikingly in Harris’s decision not to lean hard on being a woman the way Clinton did on being female. What may well be most different is how much more her achievements seem to be the focus compared with her identity. The question will be if those are enough changes for Harris to succeed where Clinton failed.
Minyon Moore acknowledged Clinton’s role in breaking barriers but emphasized the ongoing challenge of shifting societal mindsets. “It’s not easy. We’re trying to shift the mindset of people,” Moore said.
But there are plenty of other barriers women in politics still have to overcome. Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, while running for office in 2018, said she was told by one constituent that she shouldn’t hold office because she would soon be a mom. But McMorrow persevered, becoming only the second senator in Michigan’s history to give birth while serving.
According to Judy Mount, who is the first African-American female Chair of the Florida Democrats, it took time for women to assume leadership roles in political parties; there is huge and vehement opposition to women assuming leadership positions. More so, during her 2016 presidential campaigns, Clinton was hugely criticized over her tone, character, and other personal matters that hugely contributed to her loss.
The defeat of HRC in 2016 served as an impetus for change, which crystallized with the nationwide Women’s March and then a record number of female candidates in the 2018 elections. Today, women compose 28.5 percent of the House of Representatives, up from 19.1 percent in 2017, according to Pew Research Center data.
Of late, over the past decade, there has been a change in public opinion of women in politics. According to the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, an increasing majority rejects today that men are better suited for political office compared to women. This change in attitude is what has made it easier for Kamala Harris to campaign based on her policy record rather than gender-related issues.
Supporters have sought to cast Harris as a dynamic and youthful foil to Donald Trump, injecting a new level of excitement into the Democratic ticket. Even as Harris has kept her campaign from focusing on a women-driven message, her battalion of women and voters of color supporters have been instrumental in amassing significant funds and building much-needed momentum for her campaign.
For Democrats like Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Harris presidency would represent important steps toward greater female political representation. But, according to Dingell, it’s also important that no one demographic feels left behind by someone else’s accomplishment. “As a country, I think that’s something we’ve got to continue to work at,” Dingell said.
