Vice President Kamala Harris is the second woman to become a presidential candidate, following Hillary Clinton, who was defeated by former President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Harris replaced Joe Biden earlier in the year as Biden was deemed unfit to be president given his age. Despite setbacks, she quickly picked up where Biden left off with her own campaign, before now being defeated by Trump in this year’s election.
Many have been debating whether Harris being a woman has helped or hurt her campaign. Since America has not seen a female president before, many voters are wary of the possible change.
“I feel like it’s drawn people to counteract that and actually draw more people to vote for her because she is a woman,” says sophomore Tsarina Brunson. “More than anything, people just want to see change and new ideas brought to the table… I feel like the people that don’t [support her] are less because she’s a woman and more because of her party,” she continues.
Harris’s stance on abortion rights has helped her tremendously in garnering support from women, compared to her opponent. Harris leans on the pro-choice side, while Trump leans more pro-life and believes in abortion access under certain circumstances. Her support for these rights, especially with her being a woman herself, has caused an increase of women to vote for her.
“I feel like a lot of the votes Kamala will receive will be from women because they use the excuse of feminism to support women when it comes to her thoughts or what she wants for this country. They benefit women…” junior Kaitlyn Oramas comments.
“I know that’s a huge topic in the presidential election… so it really depends on who wins,” says sophomore Charlie Foreman. A common concern among women in the U.S is that Roe v. Wade is not just a one-off action against women; it is a starting point for the Republican Party and conservatives in general.
Many worry that the country is going backward in the overturning of the 1973 passing of Roe v. Wade as well as infringing on women’s basic human rights. The overturning has separated an already divided country even more, with the Democratic Party supporting abortion access and the Republican Party being strictly against it, leaving women worried about whether they would feel safe in the U.S if former President Trump wins.
At Charter, teenage boys are realizing Harris’s impact on the election. From her historical position as the first female vice president to being a well-liked, potential president, they are no strangers to what she has going for voters. Junior Faizan Shah shares his opinion on Harris’s place in the election stating, “I think a lot of people are voting for [her], not only because she is a woman, but because of the laws she stands for. This has never happened before, and I think having a woman in charge would bring a sense of unity for womanhood.”
On Nov. 5, Vice President Kamala Harris had the potential to make history as the first female President of the United States and advocate for women’s rights nationwide. However, Harris ultimately lost to Trump by 53 electoral votes. In an era where rulings such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade happened with relative ease, many voters had hoped Harris would usher in a new era of female empowerment by January 20th, 2025.
