Why Women Didn’t Deliver for Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris was heavily favored to win the women’s vote in the 2024 presidential election. In fact, months of polling showed her in a virtual tie with Donald Trump among women voters. However, on election day, Harris failed to deliver for the Democratic candidate.

While many women did cast their ballots for Harris, she lost the support of some key demographics that had traditionally voted for Democrats. According to early exit polls, Harris’s advantage among women overall – around 10 points – actually fell four points short of Joe Biden’s in 2020.

The Shifts That Delivered Trump a Big Win

There were several factors that contributed to Trump’s victory among women voters. Here are some of the key shifts:

• Economic concerns took priority: In pre-election surveys and preliminary exit data, inflation and affordability continued to top lists of voters’ concerns. And for these voters, Trump was the overwhelming favorite.

For many women, particularly those with lower incomes, the economy became a major issue in this election. Jennifer Varvar, an independent from Grand Junction, Colorado said she had not even considered a vote for Harris because of the financial stress she faced over the past four years.

“For me and my family, we’re in a worse position now than we ever have been financially. It’s a struggle. I have three boys to put food on the table for,” Varvar said. Things had been better under Trump, she said, and that’s why she voted for him.

• Abortion rights didn’t resonate: Despite Harris’s emphasis on abortion rights during her campaign, these issues did not seem to be as important to women voters in this election.

According to Evan Roth Smith, a pollster and campaign consultant, “Voters – particularly the women – who feel strongest about abortion are already voting for Democrats.” However, Harris was unable to raise the importance of abortion among women who didn’t yet see it as a pressing issue.

“The abortion argument did not penetrate at all with non-college educated women, did not move them an inch. And they lost ground with Latinos,” Mr Smith said.

• Non-college educated women remained loyal to Trump: In 2020, Harris won the support of 62% of non-college educated women. However, in this election, she failed to build on that momentum. According to preliminary data, Trump won the support of 63% of non-college educated women.

• Latino women shifted towards Trump: Democrats suffered a 10-point drop among Latino women, while failing to move the needle among non-college educated women at all. In contrast, Trump maintained his advantage over Harris among these demographics.

Why Women Didn’t Deliver for Kamala Harris

There are several reasons why women voters may not have delivered for Kamala Harris in this election. Here are some possible explanations:

• The country is still sexist: According to Patti Solis Doyle, who managed Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, “I do think that the country is still sexist and is not ready for a woman president.”

Unlike Clinton, who explicitly leaned into her gender and the history-making potential of her campaign, Harris was noticeably reluctant to do the same.

• The job description: Donald Trump framed being president as being a tough guy in a dangerous world. “He framed that as the job description,” said Evan Roth Smith. And that’s one of the hardest possible job descriptions for a woman to successfully meet, in the minds of many Americans.

These factors combined to make it difficult for Harris to win over some key demographics, including women voters. Despite her efforts, she ultimately fell short of delivering for Democrats in this election.

Conclusion

The 2024 presidential election showed that women voters are not as easily won over by Democratic candidates as they once were. While Kamala Harris had many strengths going into the campaign, she was unable to overcome these challenges and deliver for Democrats. As we move forward, it will be important for Democratic candidates to recognize these shifts in the electorate and adapt their strategies accordingly.

Additional Resources

For more information on the 2024 presidential election, including analysis of voter demographics and campaign strategy, check out our other articles:

* Election 2024: Analysis of Voter Demographics
* The Impact of Social Media on Presidential Elections

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