In the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, as Donald Trump claimed an unprecedented second non-consecutive term, many of Kamala Harris’s most ardent supporters were left searching for answers. For the Black women who had rallied around the vice president’s historic candidacy, her loss was not just a political defeat – it was a painful reminder of the deep racial and gender divides that continue to shape American politics.
A Groundswell of Support
When Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election and endorsed Harris, it sparked an outpouring of enthusiasm from Black women across the nation. Within hours, some 40,000 Black female leaders had joined a Zoom call to strategize how they could help propel one of their own to the highest office in the land.
“We went from that call to organizing our house, our block, our church, our sorority, and our unions,” recalled Glynda C. Carr, president of Higher Heights, a group dedicated to electing Black women. “Black women used our organizing power around a woman that we knew was qualified, that had a lived experience.”
For many, Harris seemed poised to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling. As a Howard University graduate, AKA sorority member, and seasoned politician with a track record as a prosecutor, attorney general, and senator, she embodied the essence of Black excellence. Her candidacy also coincided with milestones like the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and the 60th anniversary of Fannie Lou Hamer’s landmark speech at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
“It gave so much hope,” said NOW President Christian F. Nunes. “It was like the opportunity and manifestation of our ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
Broad Bipartisan Appeal
Harris’s campaign drew support from Democratic heavyweights and even some prominent Republicans, like Liz Cheney and her father, former VP Dick Cheney. At age 100, former President Jimmy Carter cast his ballot for Harris. But in the end, even this wide-ranging coalition could not overcome the surge in Donald Trump’s base, which grew among Black and Latino voters.
According to AP VoteCast, about 3 in 10 voters said they wanted a total upheaval in how the country is run. Trump’s “America First” platform and hardline stances on the economy and immigration energized his supporters, eclipsing concerns over democracy and abortion rights that were central to Harris’s campaign.
The Unspoken Factors
Although few voters openly cited Harris’s ethnicity or gender as reasons for opposing her, some of her backers believe these were underlying factors that many are reluctant to admit.
“It could not withstand the wall of white nationalism and racism and classism and sexism and misogyny,” said National Council of Negro Women President Shavon Arline-Bradley of Harris’s campaign. “This idea of womanhood in leadership still becomes unfathomable for many.”
For New Orleans mother Laureé Akinola-Massaquoi, Harris represented hope for a more equal future. But waking up to news of Trump’s victory left her “disgusted, disappointed, just annoyed.”
“Nowhere else can other people do the things he does or say the things he does, or have the record he has and become president,” she lamented. “I just don’t even know how he even got this far.”
A Reckoning for Democrats
In the wake of Harris’s loss, some Democrats are soul-searching about the party’s future and its ability to mobilize the diverse coalition needed to win national elections. Although Black women remain one of the party’s most loyal voting blocs, there are signs of frustration and disillusionment.
“I felt that this loss was not a reflection of her ability to lead,” said NOW’s Nunes. “I felt like it was a reflection of voters who said that they would show up for her, but failed to show up for her. And also, people’s inability to trust women and stand up for women – particularly, especially a Black woman.”
As Democrats grapple with the fallout and look ahead to 2028, they will need to confront hard questions about how to build a winning multiracial, multigenerational movement in a nation still deeply divided along lines of race, class, and gender. For the Black women who invested so much in Harris’s candidacy, the work of bending the arc of history continues, even in the face of bitter disappointment.
