Can Harris Win White House?

Dixya Poudel

On the minds of most Americans now is the question: Will they see a female president in the White House? After US president Joe Biden bowed out of the upcoming presidential race, he gracefully passed the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris. As such, Harris is now the Democratic nominee for the 2024 US presidential election.

This is historic. Not only is Harris a female candidate, she is also the first Black-Asian female presidential nominee. When she announced her bid to run for the presidential race, it echoed not just throughout the US but also the world. Here was a highly successful female with a strong academic and political background setting an example. While she is already the Vice President, now she has set her eyes higher which has resounded as a strong political move in a nation that has yet to see a female president. 

US has the oldest constitution in the world which is why it is surprising that there hasn’t been a female president. Even Nepal has had Bidya Devi Bhandari as a female president. It leads one to wonder about US political structure. However, now the surreal reality is that a Black-Asian female politician has become a hope for American females who have had to see abortion bans, a blow to women’s rights. Harris is a strong supporter and champion of women’s rights. As a Vice President, she has denounced the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade becoming a leading voice on reproductive health rights. It is no wonder that she has been looked up to as a symbol of women empowerment. 

As such, Harris is among a handful of female politicians who have run for the US presidential race. Hillary Clinton’s loss to the Republican candidate Donald Trump in 2016, ringed heavily among the Democratic Party which was aiming to make history. Now, Harris has a lot on her plate as she speeds up her campaign with her running mate, Tim Walz. In a few months, the ballots will decide their fates but till then the world will be following the news eagerly.

Women like Kamala Harris can be a formidable figure for progressive change. The Oval Office is one of the most influential positions in the world. And in a world where patriarchy still decides the fate of girls and women, a mixed-race female president in White House could send ripples of optimism globally. 

Women aren’t just half the sky, they are also a collective force to be reckoned with. They might be wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmothers. But they are also educators, doctors, lawyers, politicians, leaders, writers, artists, and so on. Most women have been taking a dual role for ages-that of balancing a home as well as a career. But it is a never ending battle against patriarchy around which females have to walk in eggshells, fearing judgements and retribution for their aspirations, hopes and dreams.

The world might have come far when it comes to female empowerment, however, there is still a searing gap when it comes to gender privilege. What the patriarchy takes for granted in a male-centric world is a real struggle for the females which is why Harris represents a figure of change.