Clinton’s Legacy to Harris’s Strategy: The Evolution of Gender Identity Within Presidential Campaigns

With the 2024 presidential race drawing to a close next month, the greatest political show on earth once again promised a turbulent election cycle, rocked by everything from assassination attempts to ‘brat’ summers. Perhaps the greatest surprise of all came from the last-minute substitution for the Democrats after Joe Biden bowed out of the race in July due to rising concerns over his age. Replaced by his Vice President, Kamala Harris, she becomes only the second woman in history to be a nominee of a major U.S political party. Her predecessor, Hilary Clinton, ran against Donald Trump in 2016, losing the election in a result that rocked the US political establishment to its core.

Whilst parallels can be drawn between Harris and Clinton, their approach to the issue of gender within their campaign tells a different story. In 2016, Clinton’s campaign focused predominantly on making history. As the first female nominee of a major U.S. political party, gender identity inevitably played a central role. Messaging like ‘shattering the glass ceiling’ and the ‘I’m with her’ campaign slogan dominated the campaign and ensured gender identity was the focal point of Clinton’s unique appeal.

Conversely, since Harris’s announcement as the Democratic nominee, there has been a distinct lack of reference to her own gender identity and the history-making potential of this presidential race. Messaging from Harris’s campaign tells a different story, aimed at building a narrative for the middle-class, low-income and working families of America. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention in August, Harris described herself not through the dimension of race or gender but as an ‘American Dream’ success story raised in a middle-class, single-parent household.

An avoidance of gender politics highlights a strategy that positions her qualifications and ability, above her gender identity. Perhaps this is done to reassure those who find her, and indeed found Clinton’s in 2016, identity as a woman overwhelming and feel more secure in casting a vote for her in November, if gender is not the focus of the campaign.

It must be considered that Harris’s campaign is able to exist within a vastly altered landscape to that of Clinton’s in 2016, reflecting broader shifts in societal discussions of gender identity and inclusion. Cultural touchstone moments such as the MeToo movement in 2017, the Women’s March that same year, and Black Lives Matter in 2020 all mirror a seismic shift in the mainstream perception of issues surrounding gender and inclusion within politics and the media landscape.

Somewhat inevitably, the residual effects of these cultural milestones have crafted a political environment polarised by the issue of progress. A 2024 election divided along gender lines. This election, many female voters are turning away from Trump due to his support for the 2022 decision to end the constitutional right to abortion. With support for a policy restricting the bodily autonomy of women and a mounting history of sexual assault allegations, Trump is left with a large deficit in support from women across the electorate. A recent USA Today poll found women favour the Democrats by 21 points, nearly double the all-time largest gender gap by Bill Clinton over Bob Doll in 1996.

Many political commentators have argued this is the perfect time for Harris to galvanise her female support base and place her gender identity at the centre of her campaign to shore up vital votes. Her disinterest, in playing to the world of identity politics, learns the lesson of Clinton in 2016 where the abject sexism and misogyny faced were often the centre of her media coverage. The famous ‘nasty woman’ comment made by Trump during the third presidential debate is only one example of the numerous insults, from ‘unlikeable’ to accusations of ‘playing the victim’ of sexism. Whilst the insults are largely grounded in unattainable gender expectations, no one can admit this did not harm Clinton’s campaign.

Evidently, Harris seeks to position herself away from the minefield of gender politics and allow her identity to remain in the backseat of this campaign. Whether this approach will pay off with the electorate, however, remains a question until polls open this November.

Words by Eliza Betts

Cover Image Credit: Marc Nozell via Flickr