Democrats are confused about what to make of Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, who entered the national arena last week.
Haley, a candidate who would usually delight the Left as a woman and a person of color, has been met with confusion instead. Democrats in 2024 will likely be rooting for an old white man rather than Haley should there be a face-off between Haley and President Joe Biden.
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“I would rather vote for a man who I know is going to fight for my rights over a woman who makes a mockery of my humanity with her empty pandering,” Charlotte Clymer, a Democratic political strategist, told the Hill. “Representation means nothing without advocacy.”
A different Democratic strategist claimed Biden has elevated enough women and people of color to earn him respect within marginalized communities.
“President Biden has one of the most diverse, multiracial coalitions we have seen in recent political history,” the unnamed strategist told the outlet. “He has prioritized elevating women, people of color, young people, and other minority constituencies throughout his presidency. That approach to governing and that enduring coalition will help him ward off any critiques that would be expected of an 80-year-old white man running for reelection.”
Vice President Kamala Harris could help the president take some voters from Haley if the two face off in 2024. But questions on Harris’s role in the White House during Biden’s first term still remain. Harris is the first female black vice president in U.S. history.
Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, has also had to endure sexist rhetoric after CNN host Don Lemon claimed she was “not in her prime,” as she is 51 years old. Lemon claimed women who aren’t in their 20s, 30s, or 40s were not in their prime during a newscast on Thursday.
“Nothing terrifies liberals more than successful conservative women,” Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-OH) tweeted about Lemon’s comment. “When liberals feel threatened, they resort to sexist nonsense like this.”
Lemon has since been benched from his morning show after he received negative backlash for his comments. He did not host the show Monday but could return Tuesday.
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Female Democratic candidates have also been victims of sexist remarks, with candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) making gender an important part of their platforms.
Warren notoriously used the word “perseverance” in her campaign as a reminder of the time Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), tried to silence her on the Senate floor.