Kamala Harris about to concede defeat.
Getty Images via AFP
Their support was necessary, it was not sufficient: Kamala Harris did not succeed in mobilizing women as much as she hoped, despite a campaign which focused heavily on the right to abortion, in the face of a opponent of masculinist rhetoric.
Exit polls conducted by CNN give Kamala Harris an eight-point lead among voters – almost half that of the Democratic candidate four years ago, Joe Biden.
The Republican, on the contrary, has widened his advantage among men, with 13 points ahead of his rival, compared to 8 in 2020.
Women are not a “monolithic” electorate, recalls Sabrina Karim, professor at Cornell University.
CNN figures show an overwhelming lead for Kamala Harris among black women, while her Republican rival has the advantage among white women.
“The concerns (of voters) have several facets,” insists the expert.
“The strong emphasis on abortion in the Harris campaign pushed some women to vote, but this issue alone was not enough to rally a diverse group” of voters.
“I have five children and the economy is bad”
A crusading lawyer in New York, Nathalie Feldgun, believes that it was time to bring Donald Trump back to the White House. “The country no longer has borders. It’s no longer a country,” says this voter, sensitive to the Republican’s virulent anti-immigration speech.
Economic aspects have obviously played a role: in many households, it is women who do the shopping and who have therefore felt the soaring prices of everyday products.
“I have five children and the economy has been bad for three and a half years (…) I am here because I want change,” confided for example a 51-year-old supporter of Donald Trump, Tessa Bonet, the October 27 before a big Republican meeting.
“Trump wants the best for us, ordinary Americans,” she added.
The vice-president, who did not use gender or even her skin color as a campaign argument, relied on representatives such as former First Lady Michelle Obama, Republican Liz Cheney, or on celebrities like icon Beyoncé.
But neither the vibrant feminist appeals of the former “First Lady” nor the support of superstar Taylor Swift prevented the clear victory of the Republican candidate, whose campaign was peppered with condescending or sometimes insulting remarks for his rival. .
Presenting himself as a bulwark for the safety of American women in the face of what he believes is an out-of-control crime, he assured that he would protect women “whether (they) like it or not.”
Flop you vote “secret”
Donald Trump has described Kamala Harris as a “mental retard” who would, if she became president, be “a toy” for other world leaders.
A last-minute strategy from the Harris camp, consisting of betting on a “secret” vote of voters living in conservative homes, was a flop.
In a recent highly commented video, a support group for the Democrat features a woman who votes for Kamala Harris in secret from her Trumpist husband.
“No one will know,” says actress Julia Roberts, who serves as narrator of the 30-second clip, before the man asks, “Did you make the right choice?” “Of course darling,” his wife replies, after exchanging a knowing smile with another woman present in the polling station.
“It was an attractive idea, but we now know that it was wishful thinking,” said Alex Keena, professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“The gender dynamics (in this election) are not limited to women, there is also the attraction that Trump has on diverse groups of men,” specifies Sabrina Karim.
Exit polls show that the Republican took the lead among voters of Hispanic origin, while Joe Biden had largely left him behind four years ago with this electorate.
(afp)
