Hillary Clinton says it’s time for Kamala Harris to break the ‘glass ceiling’

Taking the stage on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to a crowd of thousands about the moment she broke one of America’s greatest barriers by becoming the first woman to win a major party’s nomination for president.

“When a barrier falls for one of us, it opens the way for all of us,” she said, recalling her speech at the convention eight years ago.

But while her presidential bid in November 2016 was historic, it ultimately resulted in failure as she lost the election to Donald Trump.

She told the crowd on Monday that it was time to pass the torch to Ms Harris, as Democrats make their next push to put a woman in the White House.

“Together, we have created many cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “On the other side of that glass ceiling stands Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States.”

Times have changed since Clinton set out to become the first female president of the United States, according to several female delegates and politicians attending the 2024 DNC in Chicago. Back then, she made her gender a central focus of her campaign — a move Harris has seemingly avoided. But whether the political landscape has changed enough for a vice president to achieve the nation’s highest office remains an open question.

Minyon Moore, chairman of the Democratic National Convention Committee, told reporters on Monday morning that Clinton “broke a lot of things for a lot of people.”

But “it’s not easy,” she said. “We’re trying to change people’s mindsets.”

Female politicians and representatives interviewed by the BBC said they faced many barriers in politics, when running for office and when serving their communities.

When Mallory McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, ran for reelection in 2018, she remembers a woman in her district asking her if she planned to have children.

“She told me straight up that this is not a job for a mother,” said McMorrow, who became only the second senator in Michigan history to give birth while in office.

Judy Mount, the first African-American female chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said it took years for women to be able to serve as chairwomen of their state political parties.

“People don’t want to see women holding anything,” she said. “They don’t want it.”

During her 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton endured many of the same obstacles. She faced a barrage of criticism about her appearance, her clothes, and even her accent.

Deloris Hudson, an Ohio delegate to the DNC, said she entered the race with more “baggage” than the average candidate.

Voters judged Clinton not only on her performance and ability as secretary of state, but also on her relationship with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, Ms. Hudson said.

Ms Hudson said many women judged Ms Clinton for staying with her husband after he had an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.

“Many women after an affair think, ‘Can I be the strong woman I want to be while still being with my husband?’” says Hudson.

But ultimately, it was Clinton’s defeat to Trump in 2016 that sparked women’s marches across the country and spurred a record number of female candidates to run in 2018. Currently, 28.5% of the House of Representatives are women, compared with just 19.1% in 2017, according to the Pew Research Center.

Meanwhile, over the past decade, according to data from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, the percentage of Americans who believe men are better suited to politics than women has steadily declined.

Ms McMorrow said that after many elections, Ms Harris did not face the pressure to “please every woman” like Ms Clinton.

“Since then, we have seen more women participating and winning at all levels, allowing us more freedom and flexibility to be ourselves,” she said.

Although the vice president’s aides and allies have pointed to the deep sexism she has faced throughout her career, Harris has tried to focus on her record rather than her gender identity. While Clinton has tried to rally voters around her female candidate, coining the slogan “I’m with her,” Harris has largely avoided conversations about gender.

The move was probably both intentional and natural, Ms. McMorrow said.

“There are so many of us [women politicians] that I don’t think you need to mention it anymore,” she said.

Instead, the conversation has largely been left to her supporters, including women and voters of color who have helped raise millions of dollars for Ms. Harris. They have portrayed the 59-year-old as a youthful, refreshing alternative to Mr. Trump, 78, a candidate who has given the Democratic ticket some much-needed momentum with just three months to go before the election.

For some Democrats like U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan, Harris’s ascension to the top spot on the ticket represents the progress women have made in politics in recent years.

However, she added that much work remains to be done.

“We need to make sure that we’re inclusive, that no demographic feels left behind because someone else is successful,” Dingell said. “As a country, I think that’s something we have to continue to do.”