Is America Ready to Elect a Female President?

The Bulwark ’s publisher, Sarah Longwell , conducted focus groups conducted from early July to late August.

Many women argued against nominating Kamala Harris for president.

But as the discussions went on, I saw signs that their pessimism was fragile.

Harris could lose for a host of reasons, but the barrier to electing a woman president is ready to break.

The people most skeptical of Harris ’s viability, in focus groups that took place before Biden dropped out, were black women.

Overwhelmingly, they preferred him as the nominee, even after his dismal debate performance.

Some argued that too many white voters preferred a white candidate; others said the sexism extended to the black community and to women themselves.

Frida Ghitis : When Biden stepped aside and endorsed Harris , some derided her as a “DEI hire’s hire” She says the label is a form of prejudice that implies that she isn’t competent or qualified.

Ghitis says as people learn more about Harris , DEI ’ loses its power to explain and minimize her.

She says we can't afford to nominate a woman, because we need to beat Trump .