LAS VEGAS — Holding a “KAMALA WALZ” sign firmly in her hands, Tay’paris Buckner waited patiently at the Thomas & Mack Center in anticipation of seeing her political idol. To secure a front-row seat, Buckner drove to the auditorium for hours before the campaign event started and stayed in line for another two hours under Las Vegas’s 104-degree scorching heat.
Buckner, who identified herself as a proud Democrat, claimed she has never missed a Democratic presidential candidate’s rally. Whether it was former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or President Joe Biden, and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris… She was there, as she is here.
“All of these are history,” Buckner said. “I want to make sure that myself, my daughter, and my family, are a part of the history.”
But this year is special. Harris, who is already the first Black and South Asian female U.S. vice president, might become the first female president in U.S. history.
“[Harris] is all about lifting women,” Buckner said. “She’s a strong candidate for ensuring that we as women, we as a country, and we as all, join forces together to make sure we are empowered.”
Just like Tay’Paris, the crowd understood the historic nature of the Harris campaign. After seven hours of waiting, they couldn’t wait to see the first campaign event of the union of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The crowd chanted, “We came for the first female president of the United States!”
However, on August 10, Harris talked about her prosecutorial track record, her proposal for small businesses and her stance on a potential Israel-Hamas ceasefire. She said nothing about her gender identity.
Different news coverage, including NPR, NBC News and VOA, wrote about how the Harris’ campaign does not emphasize her gender, even though reproductive rights for women is a top issue on the ballot, and critical to winning the White House.
Politico suggested that Harris keep her female identity mostly unstated. Instead of highlighting her female identity, Harris emphasizes her middle-class background and her prosecutorial track record.
Political experts drew comparisons with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — the first U.S. female Democratic presidential nominee.
Extensive coverage pointed out that in the 2016 presidential election, Clinton focused quite a bit on her gender. As a former First Lady and senator, Clinton decided to present herself as a woman who could have a thriving political career, and also take good care of her family.
“Women in politics have to emphasize the qualities of leadership that men often are assumed already to have,” USC Center for Inclusive Democracy President Mindy Romero said.
Harris’s campaign adopts a different strategy just weeks from election day. When Harris was asked in a CNN interview last month what gender and race mean to her as a candidate, she replied, “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.”
Romero says there are two reasons Harris adopts this strategy. First, she needs to sway swing voters, and talking about her gender would not help.
“The fact that she would be the first Asian American female president, but also of color, is important to a lot of folks on the left,” Romero said. “It’s not as important to some folks on the right, and certainly some swing voters.”
Second, Romero said those who recognize the historic nature of Harris’ campaign might already be disposed to vote for her. She wouldn’t need to emphasize gender to persuade them.
Harris became well known to the public through her confrontation of Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. At his 2018 confirmation hearings, she asked Kavanaugh to clarify his views on Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that marked a constitutional right to abortion. Harris said, “Can you think of any laws that give the government the power to make decisions about the male body?”
That spirit echoed in the recent presidential debate when Harris denounced former President Donald Trump for interfering with women’s reproductive rights. Harris turned to Trump and said, “Couples who pray and dream of having a family are being denied IVF treatments. Working women have to travel to another state, to get on a plane sitting next to strangers, to go and get the health care she needs.”
USC Professor of Professional Practice of Journalism Christina Bellantoni said that as a woman, Harris has a powerful voice to talk about abortion rights.
“It’s just more showcasing she’s a woman who is uniquely qualified to talk about these issues that happen to be on voters’ minds,” Bellantoni said.
Bellantoni suggested, “This country has already expressed that it wants a female president,” referring to Clinton winning the popular vote in 2016 when Trump won the Electoral College.
Bellantoni proposed that Clinton lost the 2016 election because some people didn’t vote since they assumed she would win anyway, and their votes wouldn’t matter. Bellantoni explained the key to Harris’s presidential campaign is encouraging voter turnout and political awareness.
“A woman’s job is always harder in every circumstance,” Bellantoni said. “But especially in politics.”