Female political candidates have significant disadvantages compared to their male opponents. Many voters instinctually associate the notion of leadership with men, and, probably as a result, they approach women candidates warily, often finding reasons to oppose them. But what happens when, in spite of these hurdles, a woman ascends to […] Read more »
Bernie Sanders lost in 2016. Here’s what he needs to do to win in 2020.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is hoping the second time is the charm in seeking the Democratic nomination for the White House. Sanders, who announced Tuesday he’s running for president in 2020, starts off in a very different position than he did four years ago, when he was considered a long […] Read more »
How sexist will the media’s treatment of female candidates be? Rule out ‘not at all.’
If you think the media treatment of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign was not seriously marred by sexism, please proceed directly to social media, Fox News, my email or wherever trolls gather. Because the underlying idea here is that, among the many flaws of 2016 campaign coverage, was the disadvantage Clinton […] Read more »
The electability trap
It’s only February 2019, and we already have five mainstream female candidates for president: Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii). Right off the bat, Warren — the first to announce an “exploratory committee” in the race for […] Read more »
Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook: Gender and Politics Edition
As of this weekend, more than 600 days remain until the 2020 presidential election. Reporters, news anchors, and pundits have 21 months worth of newsprint and air time to fill with coverage that informs and, on occasion, fails to inform the electorate. There will be shiny objects to chase and […] Read more »
State of the Union 2019 Dial Meter Test Results
On behalf of the Voter Participation Center and Women’s Voices. Women Vote Action Fund, Democracy Corps conducted live dial-meter testing of the 2019 State of the Union address among the Rising American Electorate (African Americans, Latinos, white unmarried women and white millennials), white working-class women, and white college women. Here […] Read more »