Kamala Harris is poised to make history as America’s first Black and South Asian woman president, yet she has not emphasized this groundbreaking aspect of her campaign. Instead, Harris has deliberately avoided highlighting her race and gender in her speeches, rallies, and initial press conferences. At 59, the Democrat has also refrained from engaging with Republican rival Donald Trump and his allies when they question her racial identity and launch sexist attacks.
Harris appears to be concentrating on the broader excitement surrounding her potential to replace President Joe Biden as the candidate, focusing on key issues like the cost of living, which she believes resonate more with voters. This strategic choice was evident during her first interview with running mate Tim Walz on CNN. When asked about a viral photo of her grand-niece watching her Democratic National Convention speech, a symbol of breaking racial and gender barriers, Harris remained focused on her qualifications. “I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender,” she told CNN.
She also dismissed Trump’s inflammatory claims that she leverages her Black identity for political gain. “Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please,” she said with a laugh.
Jesse J. Holland, an assistant professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, suggests that Harris’s approach is strategic. Trump’s attacks inadvertently spotlight her historic candidacy without inflicting damage. “Why spend your precious time talking about things when your opponent’s doing it for you — and perhaps not successfully?” Holland told AFP.
Harris benefits from already being recognized as the first-ever Black, female, and South Asian vice president, even as voters become familiar with her presidential bid. She openly speaks about her background, paying tribute to her mother, a “brilliant, five-foot-tall brown woman who taught her children to ‘never complain about injustice, but do something about it.'” However, she avoids using race and gender as primary campaign messages, a move that may not universally attract votes.
Her candidacy has energized many young, female, and Black voters, but some voters may be dissuaded by the prospect of a female or Black president, according to Holland. Democrats believe that key issues like the economy and migration will play a more significant role in the upcoming nail-biting election. Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker influential in Biden’s decision to step aside, supports Harris’s strategy of remaining low-key about her race and gender. Pelosi told a podcast with Barack Obama’s former strategist David Axelrod that a female president would be “icing on the cake. But it ain’t the cake,” emphasizing the importance of “kitchen table” issues.
Democrats are cautious, recalling Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, which heavily featured her potential to be the first female president but ended in an unexpected loss to Trump. Zeeshan Aleem, in an opinion piece on MSNBC, supports Harris’s decision not to center her campaign on race and gender, arguing that Clinton’s slogan “I’m With Her” missed the mark.
Harris’s career as a prosecutor, California attorney general, and senator has been characterized by resisting categorization. In media interactions, she often provides thoughtful, measured responses that can be difficult to pin down, a trait that could be politically advantageous in an aggressive election cycle with less than 10 weeks to go. “At this very second, she may be resisting labels, maybe resisting being boxed in,” said Holland.
