At DNC, limited anxiety over possible attacks on Harris’ gender and race

Given how close Hillary Clinton came to becoming the first female U.S. president back in 2016 — and given how catastrophic her failure to break that barrier felt for many of her supporters — it’s no surprise that, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, there are glimmers of concern that Kamala Harris might experience similar disappointment this fall.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama alluded to that unease in her speech on Tuesday, when she urged Harris’ supporters not to let any potential nervousness lead to inaction.

“We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected,” Obama said.

Harris, of course, has even more potential firsts attached to her candidacy than Clinton did: she’s seeking not just to become the first woman elected president, but also to become the first Black woman and first South Asian woman to reach the White House.

Donald Trump, who beat Clinton in 2016 and is currently campaigning against Harris as he tries to regain his old job, has already signaled that his attacks on Harris will likely have both a racial and a gender-based valence as the campaign progresses. Among other things, Trump has suggested that Harris isn’t really Black and, according to the New York Times, has privately referred to her as a “bitch,” a claim the Trump campaign denies.

Yet among the Massachusetts delegates gathered in Chicago, fears that a late-campaign barrage of racism and misogyny could derail Harris’ presidential bid seem relatively muted — and in some cases, entirely nonexistent.

“Oh, I’m not worried about that at all,” said U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, the first Black woman elected to the state’s congressional delegation. “Of course, she’s going to experience attacks, and it’s not anything she’s new to. She’s been a woman of color her entire life. And so any sexist tropes, racist tropes, misogynoir, whatever they’re trafficking in, it’s a predictable play from an old handbook.

“I think what we’ve learned is to not be distracted or derailed by it,” Pressley added. “So we’re going to call it out when it happens, but then we’re going to get to work and keep organizing.”

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the first Black woman elected to statewide office, seemed similarly unconcerned.

“Obviously we know racism is real, sexism is real, all the -isms,” said Campbell, “[But] one thing I appreciate about Kamala and Tim Walz is they’re not getting distracted by the noise. They’re focusing on the people, they’re focusing on the issues, they’re not taking anything for granted.

“[Harris] is a fighter,” Campbell added. “District attorney, attorney general, senator — she’s done it all — vice president. So I’m sure, in her own way, there’s spaces she goes to deal with that. But at the end of the day, for [Democrats], we’re going to win focused on the issues, bringing people together, and doing it with a sense of joy and optimism.”

Ruthzee Louijeune, the president of the Boston City Council, also described any sexist and racist attacks as obstacles that could be transcended by Harris and her supporters.

“I believe that we when we come together as Democrats in our large-tent party … that there’s nothing that we can’t do,” Louijeune said. “Now, does that mean that racism won’t play a role, or that sexism won’t play a role, or misogynoir? They probably will, in some places. But our job … is to fight as hard as we can to show people that Kamala, based on her substance and her character, is the only option for this job.

“I can’t sit here as a Black woman, as a Black woman lawyer like Kamala, and say that I think everything’s going to be peachy keen,” Louijeune added. “I’ve had too much life experience … but I think now is the moment. I think we put our foot on the gas, all gas no brakes, and we make sure that our candidate is victorious this November.”

Jessica Tang, the president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, suggested there’s been a sea change in cultural expectations surrounding female presidential candidates in recent years.

“If we’re being real, sexism and racism still exist,” said Tang. “I’ve experienced it myself as a woman and a person of color, and it happens all the time.”

And yet, Tang added, Clinton’s 2016 bid, Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential run and Nikki Haley’s campaign for the Republican nomination this year have all helped normalize the idea of women seeking the White House.

“There are a lot more women who are running for president, and I do think that helps us all,” Tang said. “It’s not a thing anymore. It’s not a surprise that a woman is running for president anymore. … We’ve made progress, in that this is not some unthinkable thing that a Black and Asian woman is running for president.”

Kim Driscoll, the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, acknowledged the challenges faced by women in politics while simultaneously dismissing the idea that racism and sexism might lead to a Harris loss.

“I was the first woman mayor in my home community in Salem — it’s inescapable that folks are going to raise that,” Driscoll said. “There are just implicit biases built into some parts of the electorate, and particularly running against the former president, who we know has a mean streak. So I think it’s going to come up.

“I also think it’s 2024,” Driscoll added. “People are ready. It’s time.”

For some, though, lingering disappointment over Clinton’s defeat in 2016 tempers confidence that Harris will be able to simply shrug off any attacks that come her way. Nicole LaChapelle, the mayor of Easthampton, became emotional when asked if Harris might face hurdles akin to the ones Clinton faced in 2016. (After the campaign, Clinton said that misogyny “certainly” played a role in her loss.)

“Seeing Secretary of State Clinton walk on that [convention] stage and just crush every single word … brought me back to 2016, and just the hate and the misogyny, just the desperate, horrific, personal attacks on her, her family, anyone who supported her,” LaChapelle said.

LaChapelle, who was a delegate for Clinton at the 2016 DNC, recounted being mocked and booed while running for mayor because she wore a pantsuit and looked like Clinton. She anticipates that similar attacks will be leveled against Harris in the near future, and says the prospect fills her with “dread.”

“The onslaught of hate, misogyny, racism is coming at us, and it is gathering speed, and I brace myself for it,” LaChapelle said. “I’m very, very worried about it.”

Whether Clinton herself shares that concern is unclear. In her speech to the DNC, Clinton didn’t highlight concerns about sexism or racism shaping the outcome in 2024. Instead, she struck an almost triumphal note, recounting the figures (including herself) who’ve paved the way for Harris’s chance to make history and saying, “This is when we break through. The future is here.”