Why electing a female president is secondary for some women
WINTERSET, Iowa — Almost exactly three years ago, Leila Schlenker marveled at the crowds at the Women’s March in Des Moines, which drew more than 26,000 people to the grounds of the state Capitol and reminded her of the large social protests of the 1960s.
Story continuesYet, the sisterhood may stop before the White House. In interviews with nearly two dozen female voters in Iowa this week, the symbolism of breaking what Hillary Clinton called “that highest, hardest glass ceiling” in politics seemed to be less resonant than ever before, particularly for older voters, who were subsumed by anxiety about defeating Trump.
Women make up 54% of registered voters and nearly 51% of the country. They are far from a monolithic voting bloc, even if the “women’s vote” is sometimes treated as such by pundits and operatives. Several studies of the 2008 primary found that while black voters overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama because of their racial identity, Clinton’s candidacy didn’t benefit as much from solidarity among female voters. And in 2016, a majority of white women backed Trump instead.
As she waited with her daughter and mother to get their photograph taken with Warren, Cyndi Boertje, 56, said that although she would love to see a female president, she didn’t think it would be quite as transformational for the country as when Obama won the presidency. “The novelty of this has worn off,” she said. “Since Hillary Clinton became the nominee we’ve really turned a corner in terms of the way that we talk about sexism and gender roles.”
“The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they’ve been in are the women,” she said. “Amy and me.” In spring 2013, as Clinton prepared her second presidential bid, Emily’s List, the largest national organization devoted to electing female candidates, debuted a nationwide effort it called the “Madam President campaign.” This year, the group is playing a quieter role in the Democratic primary.
Chatting with fellow volunteers for Warren after a campaign event Sunday, Diane Lemker, 65, bemoaned what she saw as unfair political projection by others.
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