Women contenders hog the limelight
WASHINGTON: Advocates for gender equality are reckoning with a welcome prospect - four or more women running for the US presidency in 2020.
For many activists, that means a Democratic field more reflective of a party that counts women as a crucial voting bloc. But the prospect of multiple women seeking the White House also presents obstacles, with no single female candidate holding a claim to women’s votes to the degree Hillary Clinton did in 2016.
The women’s vote, and groups that provide crucial financial and grassroots support, could split. Looming over it all is persistent gender bias and the question of whether Americans are ready to elect a female president.
“We do realise there’s still sexism in this country, and what we’re trying to do is change minds. This country is more than ready for this to happen, I really do,” said EMILY’S List President Stephanie Schriock, whose group aids the campaigns of Democratic women supporting abortion rights up and down the ballot.
For now, many women are basking in the success of the 2018 midterms, which sent a historically diverse class to Congress. Demonstrators will gather in cities nationwide on Saturday for events tied to the third annual Women’s March.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren last month became the first Democratic woman to launch a presidential exploratory effort, joined by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
Senators Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also are eyeing their own efforts in a Democratic primary.