After failing to win any delegates in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, respectively, Andrew Yang and Deval Patrick dropped out of the 2020 presidential race, leaving an all-white field of Democratic candidates. That homogeneity stands in stark contrast to the beginning of the race, which was characterized by the most diverse debate stages in history. The majority-white presidential candidacy, which is a poor representation of the Democratic electorate, has been caused by faulty notions of electability and the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) exclusion of minorities.
The notion of “electability” prevents minorities from possessing a fair chance at the nomination. Democratic voters are increasingly concerned with beating President Donald J. Trump in the 2020 election; according to a research study, 97 percent of likely Democratic voters identified defeating Trump as either “extremely” or “very” important. Because Democrats prioritize victory in the fall, the question of who is electable has driven the presidential race and negatively impacted nonwhite candidates.
Our American history encompasses a political system that caters to white men. And since our perception of general election fitness is manipulated by those who have previously held office, white men have an unfair advantage in the electability contest. While the Democratic field has become increasingly more diverse in recent years, the media and the DNC still enable strong discrimination against candidates of color and women. Words such as likability and electability are just coded terms used to discriminate against nonwhite candidates and paint them as less likely to defeat Trump. However, judging someone as unelectable because of a current lack of diversity just exacerbates the problem.
With electability an all-encompassing priority for Democrats, minority candidates have faced greater backlash than their white counterparts. Candidates who do not fill the mold of past nominees have faced greater criticism about whether they stand a chance at beating Trump. As former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro argued, several news stories in the week leading up to Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-Calif.) exit from the race demolished her campaign, making it more difficult for her to remain a viable candidate. However, this bias in the media has been prevalent throughout her campaign. One week of cable TV coverage showed a clear bias as Harris received only 333 mentions to Warren’s 782 although they are both candidates of similar experience. A study indicates that African American women face greater obstruction in their campaign for the nomination through higher discrimination in questioning their credibility and a lack of institutional support. Candidates of color have to put in extra effort to not only prove that they are electable, but to overcome the undue barriers to their success created by the DNC.
The Democratic primary calendar also makes it difficult for minority candidates to gain traction. Iowa and New Hampshire, which decide their delegates before all other states, play an important role in the primary process by narrowing the field early. Most Democratic candidates who have earned the nomination have won Iowa, New Hampshire or both. Success in Iowa and New Hampshire garners more media buzz, polling momentum and fundraising necessary for future success. However, Iowa is 90 percent white and New Hampshire is 93.2 percent white, hardly a reflection of the diversity in the Democratic Party and the United States. Clearly, Iowa and New Hampshire have undue influence over the outcome of the election despite their inadequate representation of the Democratic Party. If the DNC truly cares about fostering diversity, it should not give Iowa and New Hampshire so much sway in the election.
Many candidates of color have additionally questioned the DNC’s polling and fundraising requirements to gain a spot on the debate stage, a pivotal opportunity for national exposure. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) criticized the DNC for its requirements, arguing that it allows billionaires such as Michael Bloomberg to buy their way on stage and excludes minorities from the process. An all-white debate stage is isolating to potential minority voters, and unnecessarily excludes important voices that could potentially mobilize voters and provide diverse input on key issues. As Booker noted, a stage with more billionaires than black people hardly represents the interests of the American people.
Societal bias against minorities must end. Obsessing over electability is merely another way to continue a cycle of white men in office. We must instead focus on which candidate will best represent the interests of the diverse Democratic Party, and push the DNC to establish a more inclusive, representative electoral process.
Looking at the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, I find that once again, there is no one that looks like me, no one that shares my experiences and no one that understands my identity. Is America ready for an Asian president? Or a woman president? Or anything but a white, Christian man? By asking these questions, we Democrats have already failed at upholding the values we claim to champion.
Brammhi Balarajan (23C) is from Las Vegas.
Brammhi Balarajan (23C) is from Las Vegas, majoring in political science and English and creative writing. She is the Editor-in-Chief of The Emory Wheel. Previously, her column "Brammhi's Ballot" won first place nationally with the Society of Professional Journalists. She has also interned with the Georgia Voice.
