The glass ceiling breaks silently

Flying completely under the radar, and perhaps a sign as to how much things have changed since Hillary was the presidential candidate and there was an enormous focus on the “glass ceiling,” there are now no less than four women vying for the presidency and vice-presidency.

The Greens’ Jill Stein is once again that party’s presumptive presidential candidate, and Kamala Harris is of course the current vice-president and 2024 candidate for the same office.

In the normal course of presidential politics, third, and even more so fourth or fifth minor party’s candidates would not garner much interest from pundits and public, no matter their sex, but 2024 is completely different. In an expected close contest between Biden and Trump, any party receiving around two or more percent in the polls could be the difference between either of the top two winning or losing, most especially in the seven swing states that matter.

On current polling in the head-to-head states, Biden and Trump are near-tied in the aggregate, but when (as does Real Clear Politics) the race is widened to five—Biden, Trump, Kennedy Jr., Stein, and Cornel West—Trump jumps to a commanding lead relative to the head-to-head of +2.7 points and leads in all seven states, including by a massive +6.3 points in North Carolina.

Clearly then there should be, and is, a focus on who the candidates and their respective running mates are. That that point is made obvious has been shown by the Democrat party assigning a team to attack RFK Jr. who has suddenly become the focus of much media attention.

Kennedy, polling an aggregate of 11.5 in Nevada, recently announced as his running mate, which provides him better access to getting on more state ballots, lawyer and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, who also brings great wealth as a bonus to being female.

Cornel West, who is polling a not inconsequential aggregate of 2% in Georgia and Michigan, two vital states for Biden especially, has just announced his running mate, which again allows easier ballot access, as Melina Abdullah, described as “a racial justice activist and professor of pan-African studies at California State University.” West has been vigorous in his defence of Palestinians in the current conflict and Abdullah may help further shore up his vote in Michigan, again to Biden’s disadvantage.

The list of female presidential and vice-presidential candidates may be added to yet. Trump may choose a Noem or Gabbard, Stein is yet to choose, and the Libertarian pairing is to be determined.

That the sensation that Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin caused when chosen, and the seeming endless promotion of Hillary Clinton as the glass ceiling breaker is now, with the current female candidates, not even a matter of much discussion even among feminist ranks show how strikingly the ethos has changed.

Image: RareCuts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.