Multiple Dem women eye 2020 race
DES MOINES, Iowa — It’s certainly not an unwelcome challenge for advocates for gender equality that four or more women are running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
To many activists, that means a field more reflective of a party that counts women as a crucial voting bloc.
But the prospect of multiple women in the race also presents obstacles, with no single candidate holding a claim to women’s votes to the degree Hillary Clinton did in 2016. The women’s vote, and groups that provide financial and grassroots support, could split.
Looming over it all is persistent gender bias and the question of whether Americans are ready to elect a female president.
“We do realize there’s still sexism in this country, and what we’re trying to do is change minds. I think this country is more than ready for this to happen, I really do,” said EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock, whose group aids the campaigns of Democratic women supporting abortion rights. “But that doesn’t make it easy.”
For now, many women are basking in the success of the November elections that sent a historically diverse class to Congress. Crowds gathering in cities nationwide Saturday for events tied to the third annual Women’s March.
In the early days of the Democratic primary, leaders of many advocacy organizations are thrilled that so many women are seeking the presidency, but are not to back any particular candidate.
EMILY’s List, which spent $37 million on House races in 2018 and was a pivotal Clinton ally, is “not currently endorsing any candidate for the Democratic nomination for president” in 2020, Schriock said. She demurred when asked if that strategy would change.
A wait-and-see approach works for now, but groups that actively bolster female candidates could face pressure to align with specific campaigns as the primary goes on.
Deirdre Schifeling, executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said only that the group’s estimated 12 million backers are dedicated to defeating President Donald Trump and that she looks forward to working with “all candidates” in the primary.
NARAL Pro-Choice America’s president, Ilyse Hogue, said the abortion rights group has made no firm decision about whether to eventually back one or more Democratic hopefuls and that “we see it as a plus, not a minus, if we haven’t endorsed by the Iowa caucus” because it means that members see multiple candidates supporting their goals.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren last month became the first woman to launch a presidential exploratory effort, joined shortly afterward by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also are considering running.
Among that top tier of female candidates, Gillibrand is particularly vocal in invoking her gender as a driver of her campaign. She put women’s priorities and perspective at the forefront of her launch this week. She pledged to fight for children and highlighted her work on behalf of sexual misconduct victims.
Gillibrand was one of the few prominent 2020 Democrats who attended a Women’s March event this year amid anti-Semitism charges that have plagued the event’s national leadership team. But the senator said the controversy wouldn’t disrupt her commitment to the march’s broader mission.
Warren’s campaign has so far emphasized racial and economic inequity more than gender. Pundits are already speculating about her and Gillibrand’s “likability” — a reminder, for some influential women, of the uneven playing field that Clinton faced challenging Trump.