Harris will need strength to survive the 'misogynoir' of this campaign

There is justified fear a Trump 2.0 presidency would destroy American democracy. Trump has revealed his intentions to dismantle democratic structures numerous times, from his incitement of the January 6 attempted coup to his comments in December 2023 that, if he wins the 2024 election, he will use special powers to make himself dictator for the first day of his term.

Trump's "Agenda47" policy plan and The Heritage Foundation's infamous Project 2025 propose a raft of dystopian measures to erode the independence of the Justice Department, indict political enemies, fire non-partisan civil servants, and close the Department of Education.

Women, LGBTQIA+, disabled people and people of colour would be most at risk from Trump 2.0, as he has vowed to hold the largest mass deportation effort in history, roll back climate progress and reinvest in fossil fuels, eradicate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, roll back LGBTQIA+ rights - especially for trans people - and ban abortions nationwide.

Enter Harris, who could not be more distinct from Trump. Since the overturn of Roe v Wade in 2022, abortion has been a key issue among voters as well as an issue on which the Republicans have performed poorly. A consistently strong defender of abortion rights, Harris would be wise to centre this in her policy platform. She has also co-sponsored the Green New Deal and is stronger on climate change than Biden, supports Medicare for all, and is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights.

In the hours after Biden's announcement, Harris' 2019 campaign video positioning herself as the "anti-Trump" had gone viral, the voiceover declaring: "She prosecuted sex predators, he is one.

"She shut down for profit colleges ... he was the for-profit college. He's owned by the big banks, she's the attorney-general who beat the biggest banks in America ... he's tearing us apart, she's bringing us together."

If Harris were to become the Democratic nominee, she would be the first Black woman and Asian-American to lead a major party ticket. Given the increasing polarisation of the US, are Americans ready to see a woman of colour in the Oval Office?

Despite US women gaining enfranchisement in 1920, a woman has still never held the top job and the US sits 74th in the global ranking of women in national parliaments - well below New Zealand (15th) and Australia (35th). The highest glass ceiling remains firmly in place, Hillary Clinton being the closest to break it in the 2016 presidential election. As the first woman to run as presidential candidate of a major political party, Clinton endured an onslaught of sexism and misogyny from the media, the public and especially Trump. One study found sexism was a "significant predictor" of voter choice at the 2016 election, especially for white voters.

In the years since, we have seen more women participate in and enter US politics. A record number of women ran and won in the House, Senate and governorships in both the 2018 and 2022 midterms, while a wave of women, especially Black women, and younger voters took to the ballot boxes and volunteered in campaign drives in support of the Democrats.

However, the surge of far-right populism and the worrying rise of American-style fascism in recent years have resulted in increasing terrorism and violence, some even predicting an impending civil war. How, then, would Harris fare against a white supremacist misogynist like Trump during the campaign and at the ballot box?

As a Black and Indian woman, Harris faces what has been termed "misogynoir"- a specific kind of racist misogyny aimed at Black women, frequently stereotyped as being "angry" and hypersexualised.

Media coverage of Harris' 2020 vice-presidential nomination unduly focused on her gender and race, with one-quarter of news articles including a racist or sexist stereotype (though largely due to quoting Trump's ad hominem attacks on Harris). The "angry Black woman" stereotype was most prevalent in this coverage, with Harris portrayed as "mean", "nasty" and "mad".

In 2024, Harris is in for a rough ride as these kind of hateful and personalised attacks will only increase for two key reasons: first, the rise of the culture wars in recent years and, secondly, she is now in the spotlight as the main contender for the Democrats and therefore the direct target of the GOP's attacks.

In the days since Harris became the likely nominee, the GOP have attacked her for being a "DEI pick" (diversity, equity and inclusion), while a 2021 clip has resurfaced of Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance questioning her leadership skills because she doesn't have biological children, referring to the Democrats as a "bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable with their lives".

Harris will need nerves of steel, a good psychologist and a trusted social media team to get through the upcoming campaign in one piece. Sadly, this is what women - especially those with multiple marginalised identities - are forced to contend with for daring to enter the (masculinised) political realm.

The Democrats seem to have made the right decision in replacing Biden with Harris. Recent polling indicates Harris is currently leading Trump by 44-42 (with a three percent margin of error), whereas the week prior Biden was lagging Trump by two percent. Though it is still early days, it is clear that Harris has reinvigorated the Democratic ticket and re-energised the voters they need most: women, African Americans and the youth.

Harris has already received resounding endorsement from the latter, instigated by British pop star of the summer Charli XCX who tweeted "Kamala IS Brat". This has gone viral among Gen Z and Millennials, with many adoring memes and TikToks embracing the Kamala x Brat crossover. Reading the room, the Harris campaign has leant into this trend, changing their official twitter backdrop to a "Brat green".

Considering only half of Americans aged 18-29 voted in 2020, and the majority of young voters - especially young women and people of colour - vote Democrat, it is imperative for Harris to court the Gen Z vote.

While Biden's Israel policy alienated progressive young voters, which led to a significant drop in Gen Z voting intentions, Harris must work on winning these voters back by breaking away from Biden's stance on Israel. She should also centre their main policy concerns: abortion rights, the climate, cost-of-living crisis and student loan debt.

This could be the deciding factor in the election.