Presidential and vice-presidential candidates
Woman
Woman of color
Geraldine Ferraro
Hillary Clinton
Democrats
Sarah Palin
Republicans
1940
2016
2020
Biden-Harris
Trump-Pence
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates
Woman
Woman of color
Geraldine Ferraro
Hillary Clinton
Democrats
Republicans
1940
2016
Sarah Palin
2020
Trump-Pence
Biden-Harris
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates
Woman
Woman of color
Geraldine Ferraro
Hillary Clinton
Democrats
Republicans
1940
2016
Sarah Palin
2020
Trump-Pence
Biden-Harris
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates
Woman
Woman of color
Geraldine Ferraro
Hillary Clinton
Democrats
Republicans
1940
2016
Sarah Palin
2020
Trump-Pence
Biden-Harris
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates
Woman
Woman of color
Geraldine Ferraro
Hillary Clinton
Democrats
Republicans
1940
2016
Sarah Palin
2020
Biden-Harris
Trump-Pence
A woman of color will be on a major-party presidential ticket for the first time: Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) as his vice-presidential pick Tuesday.
The selection is historic, but it also draws attention to the persistent underrepresentation of women in the highest positions of American government, especially women of color who must overcome both racism and sexism to succeed.
Harris, a former attorney general of the nation’s most populous state, became in 2016 the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate and made her own presidential bid last year. She is 55 years old, while Biden is 77.
Former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala D. Harris shake hands before a Democratic presidential debate in Detroit on July 31, 2019. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
In March, Biden committed himself to selecting a female running mate. His primary campaign was buoyed by Black support, and he faced additional pressure to select a woman of color after racial unrest swept the nation. Harris is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, making her both the first Black woman and first Asian American on a major-party ticket.
[Harris pick creates an emotional moment for Black women]
“Black women are not only the most loyal voters for the Democratic party — we are key to igniting Black voters across all demographics to show up in record numbers,” a group of prominent Black women wrote in an open letter in April, urging Biden to select a Black woman.
Harris’s selection drew praise from others who had been floated as potential VP choices. “To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from,” said Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.).
A Biden-Harris victory in November would elevate the senator to the highest elective office ever held by a woman in American government, but it could also leave the Senate devoid of Black women. The governor of California would fill the resulting vacancy until the 2022 election.
One hundred years after women gained the right to vote, they remain underrepresented in the halls of power. Women of color make up about one-fifth of the U.S. population but a far smaller share of major elective offices.
Other women
Women of color
Men
U.S. Senate
2020
1990
4%
22
Sen. Carol Moseley
Braun (D-Ill.) was the
female senator
of color.
Sen. Kamala
Harris (D-Calif.)
is the only
sitting Black
female senator.
74
U.S. House
2020
1990
10%
13
Many women
were elected to
Congress in 1992.
Female
representation
expanded again
in 2018.
77
Governor
2020
1990
2%
16
A Black woman
has never been
elected governor.
82
Women of color
Other women
Men
U.S. Senate
1990
2020
4%
22
Sen. Carol Moseley
Braun (D-Ill.) became the
first Black female
senator in 1993.
Sen. Kamala
Harris (D-Calif.)
is the only sitting
Black female
senator.
74
U.S. House
2020
1990
10%
13
Many women
were elected to
Congress in 1992.
Female representation
expanded again
in 2018.
77
Governor
2020
1990
2%
16
A Black woman has
never been
elected governor.
82
Women of color
Other women
Men
U.S. Senate
2020
1990
4%
22
Sen. Carol Moseley
Braun (D-Ill.) became the
first Black female
senator in 1993.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
is the only sitting
Black female senator.
74
U.S. House
2020
1990
10%
13
Many women
were elected to
Congress in 1992.
Female representation
expanded again in 2018.
77
Governor
2020
1990
2%
16
A Black woman has never
been elected governor.
82
Women of color
Other women
Men
U.S. Senate
2020
1990
4%
22
Sen. Carol Moseley
Braun (D-Ill.) became the
first Black female
senator in 1993.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
is the only sitting
Black female senator.
74
U.S. House
2020
1990
10%
13
Many women
were elected to
Congress in 1992.
Female representation
expanded again in 2018.
77
Governor
2020
1990
2%
16
A Black woman has never
been elected governor.
82
In the past, vice-presidential picks — including Biden himself — have typically been senators or governors, although there have been plenty of exceptions. Trump won the presidency without any political experience, and Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) had not held a statewide office when he joined Mitt Romney’s unsuccessful bid in 2012.
While Biden picked a senator in the end, he was also considering several women with less-traditional résumés, including former Obama national security adviser Susan E. Rice and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.).
“Even if women of color aren’t in those traditional feeder offices, they’re still highly qualified to serve as vice president and, potentially, president,” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, which provided the data on women in politics shown here. Dittmar says Biden’s pledge forced his campaign and voters to rethink what kind of experience they value in a vice president.
[Women’s suffrage was a giant leap for democracy. We haven’t stuck the landing yet.]
Pledging to choose a woman, as Biden did, narrowed the list of those with statewide experience considerably. Eighteen states have never sent a woman to the Senate, and 20 states have never had a female governor. Only 26 of 100 senators are women — which is still a record high. There are nine female governors, but only one, Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), is a woman of color.
U.S. Senate
Two women
One woman
Previously represented by a woman
Never represented by a woman
ME
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
Governor
Woman
Previously held by a woman
Never held by a woman
ME
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
U.S. House
Percentage of women in state’s delegation
7%
25%
50%
100%
0%, but previously had female reps
Never represented by a woman
ME
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
U.S. Senate
Two women
One woman
Previously represented by a woman
Never represented by a woman
ME
VT
WI
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
KY
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
WV
VA
MD
DE
SC
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
Governor
Woman
Previously held by a woman
Never held by a woman
ME
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
U.S. House
Percentage of women in state’s delegation
7%
25%
50%
100%
0%, but previously had female reps
Never represented by a woman
ME
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
U.S. Senate
Governor
Woman
Two women
One woman
Previously held by a woman
Previously represented by a woman
Never held by a woman
Never represented by a woman
ME
ME
WI
VT
NH
VT
WI
NH
ID
ND
MN
IL
NY
WA
MT
MI
MA
ID
MT
WA
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
NV
IN
PA
OR
WY
SD
IA
OH
NJ
CT
WY
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
RI
OR
NV
SD
IA
CA
CO
MO
WV
VA
MD
UT
NE
KY
DE
UT
CO
KY
VA
DE
CA
NE
MO
WV
MD
AR
TN
AZ
NM
KS
NC
SC
NM
SC
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
GA
MS
GA
OK
LA
AL
OK
MS
LA
AL
FL
HI
AK
TX
HI
AK
TX
FL
U.S. House
Percentage of women in state’s delegation
7%
25%
50%
100%
0%, but previously had female reps
Never represented by a woman
ME
VT
WI
NH
ND
WA
ID
MT
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
AK
HI
TX
FL
U.S. Senate
Governor
Woman
Two women
One woman
Previously held by a woman
Previously represented by a woman
Never held by a woman
Never represented by a woman
ME
ME
WI
VT
NH
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
GA
OK
LA
AL
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
HI
AK
TX
FL
U.S. House
Percentage of women in state’s delegation
7%
25%
50%
100%
0%, but previously had female reps
Never represented by a woman
ME
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
Governor
U.S. Senate
U.S. House
Percentage of women in state’s delegation
Woman
Two women
Previously held by a woman
One woman
7%
25%
50%
100%
Never held by a woman
Previously represented by a woman
0%, but previously had female reps
Never represented by a woman
Never represented by a woman
ME
ME
ME
WI
VT
NH
WI
VT
NH
WI
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
GA
MS
OK
LA
AL
GA
GA
MS
MS
OK
LA
AL
OK
LA
AL
HI
AK
TX
FL
HI
AK
TX
FL
HI
AK
TX
FL
“There are perceptions that women of color would not be able to win in a majority-White electorate,” said Dittmar.
These incorrect assumptions make it difficult for women of color to be recruited for higher offices and to gain support.
A record number of Black
women are running
for Congress in 2020
130
98
100 candidates
87
72
All black female
candidates
50
32
Democrats
15
Republicans
0
’20
’18
2004
There are reasons to believe that these perceptions are changing. Women of color won in majority-White districts in 2018, a year that saw record numbers of women elected to Congress. More Black women are running for Congress in the 2020 cycle than ever before, according to CAWP data.
“The fact of the matter is we’ve never had Black women in a lot of these positions, so how can you go to say experience in it is the prerequisite?” former senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), the only other Black woman to be elected to the Senate, told The Washington Post last month. “Otherwise, what you get is that old circular firing squad, and you wind up never getting anybody.”
Brittany Renee Mayes contributed to this report.
