The History of Women Running Mates


Photographer via CNN

The three female running mates nominated by a major party in the United States. Pictured are Geraldine Ferraro, Sarah Palin, and Kamala Harris

Liz Kobel

As the inauguration is coming up, the country has had a historic moment in time as the first woman of color has been projected to be the Vice President Elect.  Senator Kamala Harris of California was chosen in August by Joe Biden as his running mate. This election is very significant because Kamala Harris is not only the first woman, but she is the first black woman and the first South Asian woman to  be elected into this very high ranking position. Though this is the first time a woman has been elected into this position, this is not the first time a woman has been a running mate for a major party in the United States. Two other women have made it feasible for Harris and other women to believe that no matter gender nor race, they can set a goal and achieve anything they set their mind too.

The 1984 Election with Geraldine Ferraro:

In 1984, former Vice President Walter Mondale was running for president against Incumbent Ronald Reagan and his Vice President George H.W. Bush. Mondale was the Democratic nominee and for the first time for the Democratic party he chose a woman to be his running mate. Mondale chose Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York. This was not just a historic moment for women, this was also the first and only time that an Italian American was nominated for a major party. Even before Mondale selected Ferraro he actually considered two other women and politicians of color for the position. He felt he should choose a minority, because he believed they were left out of politics and that wasn’t fair. Mondale was also pushed by his wife to select a woman because at that time she felt this country had made enough progress for equal rights to have a woman be on the ticket. Though the Reagan/Bush ticket won every state except Minnesota, when Mondale selected Ferraro to be his running mate it actually raised him up in the polls and many Americans believed this was a positive moment for our nation’s history. Some Americans were afraid that having a female leader would have a negative impact on issues like military and foreign policy and felt that having”male qualities” would be stronger for the country. Others believed she was too emotional for the job, giving off the common belief that women are too emotional and sensitive to run the country. One of Ferraro’s popular quotes regarding her gender was, “Some leaders are born women”. Though she did not make it to the white house, Ferraro’s opened the door for women everywhere. She died in 2011, but her legacy will live on forever. Winning didn’t matter to some women, it was about breaking grounds on gender equality.

The 2008 Election with Sarah Palin: 

In 2008, this country was going through a significant transition. The country had been through two terms of George W. Bush and they were eager to elect a new leader. The nation was impacted by the financial crisis and people were scared that another depression might occur. Though many speculated that it would be then Senator Hillary Clinton, in hopes that a woman would be the first nominee to a major party, but Senator Barack Obama received the Democratic nomination for President. He was the first African American nominated by one of the two major parties. His Republican challenger was Senator John McCain. Senator John McCain chose Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. Palin was subjected to sexism from the other side especially regarding her five children, and the fact that her daughter Bristol was 17 and pregnant during the election. Sarah Palin had five children and many mothers shamed her and felt she should be at home with her children instead of running, or other people felt she wouldn’t be fit to be second in line for president with five children to take care of. In April of 2008, Sarah Palin welcomed her fifth child Trig Palin, and he was diagnosed with down syndrome. Many used this event to accuse Palin of covering up and lying about her pregnancy, making it out like her daughter Bristol was the one who really had Trig. This was an effort to shame Bristol and dismantle the campaign. Many on the conservative side made comments about her looks. She was the youngest Governor of Alaska, first female Governor of Alaska, and the first female nominated for Vice President by the Republican party.

The 2020 Election with Kamala Harris:

In 2019, Democratic U.S. Senator of California Kamala Harris announced her presidential campaign for 2020. Harris gained significant attention during the Democratic debates as she challenged her opponent Joe Biden on his past working with segregationists lawmakers, and his record as a Senator concerning racial issues. She specifically talked about busing for African American children in the 60s and 70s in order to achieve integration. Kamala Harris told her story as a child on that issue explaining, “There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day, and that little girl was me”. In December of 2019, Harris announced she was ending her campaign explaining she did not have enough money to keep funding it. After many Democratic primaries, it was projected that former Vice president Joe Biden was projected to be nominated by the Democratic Party. During the election Biden made it clear he would choose a woman to be his running mate. Preparing for his nomination, many on his list of vetting for a running mate were women of color, including Senator Harris. In August of 2020, a couple of days before the Democratic National Convention, Joe Biden chose Senator Harris to be his running mate. She was the first woman of color to be nominated for vice president by a major party. Harris also gained a lot of attention during the Vice Presidential debate, against Vice President Mike Pence. When Pence interrupted Harris during a segment, Harris responded with, “Mr. Vice President I’m speaking”. Many commentators discussed this moment because they felt men were repeatedly interrupting in order to silence them.  Though there were many on the Conservative side that saw it in a different way. Actor James Wood tweeted “Mike Pence was a gentleman, forthright and focused. He delivered his plan for America brilliantly” He commented on Harris’ performance by saying, “Kamala Harris behaved like a ‘Valley Girl’ smirking and rolling her eyes like a petulant brat, dodging every question she was asked”. Others used words like “annoying” and “catty” to describe her, but some brought up race referring to her as the “Black Hillary”. This trended as a hashtag on twitter.

The Nation’s First Female Vice President and First Second Gentlemen

After weeks and weeks of debates, on November 3rd the nation voted for their President. The Biden/Harris ticket was projected to be the winner. Though this is a historic moment for women in politics, the nation also has a position that no other man has had. Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff will be the nation’s first Second Gentlemen. This helps young girls and women all across the world see that the woman can be in charge or have a higher position than her husband and have it be normalized. It breaks gender stereotypes, and Doug Emhoff is the first spouse of a President/Vice President that is Jewish so breaking grounds on religion is also a part of this win. But now the first female of color will be the country’s vice president. In her victory speech Vice President elect Harris, talked about the importance of her gender in this victory “But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this a country of possibilities and to the children of our country regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before.”