The 2020 frontrunners have something in common
For the moment at least, it’s fair to say that Kamala Harris is the de facto frontrunner in the 2020 presidential election. It’s also arguably fair to say that Elizabeth Warren is the co-frontrunner. All you have to do is look at the initial reactions to their campaigns, both in terms of the excitement coming from their own side, and the fear that’s visible from the other side.
That’s not to say that one of these two women is necessarily going to end up being president. We’ve seen how these things can go sideways. But it is worth noting that the two declared candidates who currently have the best shot at winning are both female. They’re not the frontrunners because they’re women, but rather because they’re widely perceived as being the two best candidates. That’s how it should be, but we need to keep in mind that for the vast majority of American history, that definitely was not how it was.
The sexism in politics is still as blatant and disgusting as ever. Any number of disingenuous attacks on Warren and Harris are merely lies rooted in stereotypes against women (and in Harris’ case, stereotypes against minorities). We’re accustomed to this crap by now, whether it be the sexist “likability” questions about Hillary Clinton because she didn’t smile enough while she was running against a rabid maniac like Trump, or the racist accusation that Barack Obama was secretly not an American. These kinds of bigoted attacks are as blatant as ever. The difference is that they don’t seem to be quite as effective as they used to be, considering that multiple well-qualified women are now surging to the head of the 2020 pack.
The sexists are already claiming that that Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are only doing well because they’re women. But this is absurd, and easily disproven. For one thing, there are two other fairly well known women in the 2020 race, Kirsten Gillibrand and Tulsi Gabbard, and they’re not getting nearly as much traction. Clearly, the women in this race are being judged on merit. And if Joe Biden enters the race, he’ll probably become a co-frontrunner with Harris and Warren, thus dispelling any notion that only women can get ahead in this race.
Let’s be real here. For as long as we’ve had elections in this country, white men have been the frontrunners simply because they’re white men, without regard for competence or suitability. It’s still largely true on the Republican side. But in the Democratic Party, where all progress happens these days if it’s going to happen at all, we’re now looking at a different story. The two frontrunners are both strong women. The future is female. If men want to become president going forward, they’re going to have to compete on merit. This is how it always should have been. It’s only just now finally starting to become a reality.
