March 6, 2020 - Warren Departure Marks Loss of Viable Women Contenders


With Warren’s departure, the presidential race – which is historic due to the six women candidates vying for a major-party nomination – comes down to two white men deemed viable in the Democratic nomination contest. While Gabbard remains in the contest, she has no path toward securing the nomination. The narrowing of the most gender and racially diverse presidential field to two white men yields commentary like that from Michelle Cottle at The New York Times, who writes, “For the party of progress, youth and diversity, a final face-off between two lifelong politicians born during World War II leaves much to be desired. And it says something depressing about the challenges women candidates still confront in their quest to shatter the presidential glass ceiling.” She points to biases around electability, qualifications, and likability as part of the problem. The New York Times writer Lisa Lerer writes, “In the end, the pink wave carried two white men ashore.” For The Atlantic, Megan Garber reviews evidence of gender bias in the 2020 election, specifically those biases tied to electability, likability, and authenticity.