Young women in America have seen two female presidential candidates lose to President Donald Trump during some of the most formative years of their lives.
Four young voters on the GBH News video series “Politics IRL,” debated whether the glass ceiling is breakable, and if the country is making progress toward one day seeing a woman in the oval office in wake of Trump’s latest victory.
“The fact that we’re nominating female candidates is least a move in the right direction,” said 26-year-old independent Leandena Dankese.
She noted former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s 2024 run for president. “It was admirable to see women in office actually trying to reach for the presidency and getting closer and closer each time.”
Jaclyn Corriveau, a 34-year-old Republican, said Kamala Harris’ candidacy is a bad case study for female candidates, considering her “forced nomination.”
“We need to think about how Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris came into their nominations. I think Hillary came up through a much more democratic process. Kamala Harris was anointed,” Corriveau said.
Both Corriveau and Dankese said they were fans of Haley, and would like to see her run again.
The panelists also debated whether gender was a factor in Harris’ failed presidential bid.
Jada Pierre, a 22-year-old progressive Democrat, said she doesn’t think Harris lost because she’s a woman.
“I just don’t feel confident being able to say that was a huge part of it because again, the lack of communication within the Democratic Party allowed Trump to dominate the narrative when it came to jobs, economic concerns, manufacturing and all these different aspects that Americans care about,” Pierre said.
But Ela Gardiner, a 19-year-old Democrat, said gender was a factor. “I think America still has a problem when it comes to recognizing that women in political spaces are able to move up. In any space, for that matter. It’s not just in politics. But I think we need to have real conversations about how are we supporting women.”
The panelists shared their picks for a future female president:
- Corriveau: Nikki Haley or New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte
- Dankese: Nikki Haley
- Pierre: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley
- Gardiner: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly
Watch the full conversation by clicking the video at the top of the page.
In the Politics IRL video series, we give young voters the opportunity to sit face to face and talk openly about the topics that motivated them to vote — or not — in the 2024 general election. They choose what to discuss. We get to see their politics — in real life. If you are a young voter, or know of one who may want to participate in our series, please connect with lead producer Alexi Cohan via email at
alexi_cohan@gbh.org.
