Washington: Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice president, faced a tough challenge in securing support from women voters during her presidential campaign, despite making abortion access a key focus of her platform. Although she held an eight-point advantage among women voters, according to exit polls by CNN, this was nearly half of the support that Joe Biden received from women in the 2020 election.
The support for Harris, particularly from women, was not as strong as her campaign had hoped, and it became clear that her efforts to rally women voters against Donald Trump's controversial rhetoric and policies did not yield the results she expected.
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"I think there were high expectations going into the election about how women would vote," said Sabrina Karim, a professor at Cornell University. "But it is always important to remember that women are not a monolithic group," and "their concerns are multi-faceted," Karim noted.
Trump dominates among men, gains support from white women
Former President Donald Trump showed massive strength with male voters, holding a 13-point lead over Harris, compared to an eight-point advantage over Biden in the previous election. Trump also performed better among white women, a key demographic, while Harris saw her greatest support among Black women voters. "The Harris campaign's strong focus on abortion likely energised some women to vote, but a single issue was not enough to bring a diverse range of women to vote for Harris," Karim said.
Nathalie Feldgun, a lawyer in New York, expressed her support for Trump, stating that she felt it was time for him to return to the White House, pointing to the economic situation and rising inflation as key factors in her decision. "The country doesn't have a border. It's not a country," said Feldgun, who had been persuaded by the Republican's stark anti-immigration rhetoric.
Economy, inflation, and women's household roles play a key role
The state of the economy, especially rising inflation, was a major factor influencing the election results. Many women, who are often the primary shoppers in their households, felt the impact of soaring prices for everyday goods. Despite Harris's focus on abortion rights and other issues important to women, it was clear that economic concerns played a bigger role in many voters' choices.
"I have five children, and the economy for the past three-and-a-half years was bad," said Tessa Bonet, a 51-year-old immigrant from Guyana who lives in New York, at Trump's giant Madison Square Garden rally. "I'm here for change and my eyes are wide open," she said. "Trump means well for us -- yes, regular Americans."
Harris’s campaign also did not heavily emphasise her identity as a Black woman of South Asian descent. Instead, she relied on high-profile surrogates such as former First Lady Michelle Obama, former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, and even pop stars like Beyoncé to help connect with voters. However, these efforts, along with endorsements from celebrities like Taylor Swift, did not prevent Trump from gaining traction, particularly among women voters.
Trump’s rhetoric and Harris’s last-minute strategy fail to change outcome
Trump’s aggressive rhetoric during the campaign also seemed to resonate with certain voters, despite his controversial remarks. Just a week before Election Day, he made headlines when he declared at a rally, “I want to protect the women of our country… whether the women like it or not.” He also made derogatory comments about Harris, calling her “mentally disabled” and “retarded,” and suggested that she would be manipulated by world leaders if she were elected.
In a last-ditch attempt to win over conservative women, the Harris campaign ran a controversial ad featuring a woman secretly voting for Harris, despite her Trump-supporting husband.
"In the one place in America where women still have a right to choose, you can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know," Roberts says.
"Did you make the right choice?" the husband asks his wife, who responds: "Sure did, honey," exchanging a smile and a wink with another woman voter.
However, this strategy failed to sway many voters, as exit polls revealed that Harris struggled to gain support from women in more conservative households. "That was an appealing idea, but now we know it's pretty much just wishful thinking," said Alex Keena, a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
For Karim, "gender dynamics are not limited to women, but what masculine appeal Trump has for a diverse range of men."
Latino voters shift toward Trump, further complicating Harris’s chances
Harris’s campaign also faced setbacks with Latino voters, a group that had largely supported Biden in the previous election. This time, however, Trump managed to gain significant ground with Latino voters, adding to the challenges Harris faced as she tried to build a broad coalition of support.
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Published: 07 Nov 2024, 10:21 am IST
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