Kamala Harris Says America Is ‘Absolutely’ Ready To Elect A Female President

On Oct 23, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday contested the notion that sexism is playing a role in the upcoming presidential race, while also expressing confidence that Americans are ready to elect a female president.

If elected, Harris would be both the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as commander in chief.

In an interview with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson, Harris said Americans are “absolutely” ready for this prospect.

“I think part of what is important in this election is really not only turning the page, but closing the page and the chapter on an era that suggests that Americans are divided,” she added.

Asked why she has chosen to not emphasize the historic nature of her candidacy during the campaign, Harris said it’s not what voters care about.

“Well, I’m clearly a woman, I don’t need to point that out to anyone,” she told NBC News. “The point that most people really care about is, can you do the job, and do you have a plan to actually focus on them?”

Harris rejected the notion that sexism could affect the outcome of the election even as Jackson pointed out that polls suggest a wide gender gap in this election. A New York Times-Sienna College poll released earlier this month showed Harris leading Donald Trump with female voters by 14 percentage points, while the Democratic nominee trailed the former president by 13 percentage points with men.

“I don’t think of it that way,” Harris said. “My challenge is the challenge of making sure I can talk with and listen to as many voters as possible and earn their vote. And I will never assume that anyone in our country should elect a leader based on their gender or their race.”

Voter surveys, though, have shown that gender could actually play a role.

A YouGov poll conducted in July, shortly after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race, found that just 54% of respondents thought the country was ready to elect a female president. The figure was down from May 2015, when 63% of registered voters said yes to the same question.