Presidential Democratic Primary 2020
In the 2020 democratic primary, six females campaigned for the democratic bid for the nomination: Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kiresten Gillebrand, Amy Klobachar, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marianne Williamson. In a general election, voters tend to stay partisan, voting for the candidate of their party regardless of their gender. However, within primaries, partisanship is no longer a factor and there is a lack of research about how exactly the gender of candidates may or may not impact voters [1]. It is however proven that when there are multiple candidates who hold similar policy platforms running against each other, many voters will attempt to differentiate candidates using multiple different factors, including gender [2].
In January 2020, a poll found that 50% of people who planned to vote in the Democratic primaries said they agreed that a woman would have a tougher time running against Trump than a man [Ibid]. The portrayals of Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign for president were similar to that of the six female candidates who campaigned in the democratic primary for the 2020 presidential nomination. Likeability of candidates continues to be strongly influenced by gender bias and is a non-negotiable quality needed for female candidates [3].
Each of the six female candidates campaigned differently with Kiresten Gillebrand wearing dresses and overemphasizing her gender and others such as Kamala Harris and Amy Klobachar opting to demonstrate presidential “masculine” qualities. However, both styles proved futile. Elizabeth Warren stated in reference to the balancing act that many female politicians face over and over again, “If you complain about it, then you are whining...And if you don't complain about it, the rest of the women think, 'what planet are you living on?' And so, you get caught in between the two” [4]. Even just within hours of Kamala Harris launching her campaign, “critics were bringing up her one time relationship with a powerful California politician, Willie Brown — a common tactic faced by women that sexualizes them and reduces their successes to a relationship with a man” [5].
With six women vying for the nomination, the race ultimately came down to two white men: Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Even though no women was able to secure the nomination, the 2020 field represents progress due to the diverse range of female candidates who were able participate, however it also reinforces the glass ceiling which remains intact for the presidency.
1. Astor, Maggie. "'A Woman, Just Not That Woman': How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail." The New York Times. February 11, 2019. Accessed November 03, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/11/us/politics/sexism-double-standard-2020.html.
2. Kurtzleben, Danielle. "Did Gender Keep Democratic Women From Winning The Presidential Primary?" NPR. April 17, 2020. Accessed December 06, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/17/818952460/did-gender-keep-democratic-women-from-winning-the-primary.
3. Astor, Maggie. "'A Woman, Just Not That Woman': How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail." The New York Times. February 11, 2019.
4. Hunt, Swanee. "Four Women Were Serious Candidates for President. What Happened?" CNN. March 11, 2020. Accessed December 07, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/06/opinions/sexism-2020-election-opinion-hunt/index.html.
5. Astor, Maggie. "'A Woman, Just Not That Woman': How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail." The New York Times. February 11, 2019.
Figure 1. Amy Klobuchar Tweet. July 01, 2019. Twitter. In NPR. By Amy Klobuchar. April 17, 2020. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/17/818952460/did-gender-keep-democratic-women-from-winning-the-primary.
Figure 2. Dejak, Tony. Democratic Debate. October 15, 2019. In The State. December 12, 2019. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/election/article238199344.html.