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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s choice to run for president makes her the fifth distinguished Republican woman to run for the White Home.
In her announcement video, Haley leaned into her profile as a woman candidate in her, saying, “I don’t put up with bullies. And while you chill, it hurts them extra for those who’re carrying heels. I’m Nikki Haley, and I’m operating for president.”
Debbie Walsh, the director of the Middle for American Girls and Politics at Rutgers College, mentioned the heels reference might be an try to enchantment to girls Republicans and distinguish herself from male candidates.
“I heard it as a little bit of a message to Republican girls voters — ‘I’m such as you’ — and enjoying to the gendered part of her candidacy,” Walsh mentioned.
“That was form of a mix of ‘I’m a woman however I’m robust,’” Walsh added. “Particularly for the presidency, that has at all times been the problem. A woman, is she robust sufficient? … She has to painting toughness however she’s additionally wanting to lean into the truth that she is a woman candidate.”
Haley becomes the twenty fourth distinguished woman to run for president, in accordance to CAWP, which defines distinguished feminine candidates as those that have “achieved main historic firsts; have been named in nationwide polls; achieved prominence by holding important elected or appointed workplace; appeared on the overall election poll in a majority of states; and/or grew to become eligible for federal matching funds.”
Haley is the primary woman governor to run for president, Walsh famous, and the primary Asian American woman to search the Republican nomination.
Thrice as many Democratic girls have run for president as Republicans, fueled largely by the crowded subject of Democrats who ran in 2020. A complete of 12 distinguished Democratic girls have run for the White Home in U.S. historical past, and 6 of them ran within the 2020 major. A type of candidates, then-California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, went on to develop into the primary feminine vice president.
Just one woman in U.S. historical past — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton — has gone on to win a significant get together’s nomination.
Walsh mentioned that partisan disparity is a product of fewer Republican girls at decrease ranges of presidency, noting there are twice as many Democratic girls serving in state legislatures than Republicans.
“It might begin on the state legislative stage after which it retains duplicating itself as you progress up into the degrees of workplace,” Walsh mentioned. “So in that method, it isn’t stunning that we’d see extra Democratic girls as candidates for the presidency.”
The latest GOP woman to search the presidency was Carly Fiorina, who ran unsuccessfully within the 2016 GOP major. 4 years earlier, then-Minnesota GOP Rep. Michelle Bachmann sought the GOP nomination.
And Haley is probably not the final woman Republican to soar into the 2024 race. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is taken into account a doable candidate. And former Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney has additionally signaled that she may run for president.
