The Secret Surge for Kamala? Women.

Young women will be the key to a Kamala Harris presidency.

Oct 25, 2024

If we wake up on November 6th to a Kamala Harris victory, it will be thanks, in large part, to women. Nothing would be more amazing than scores of women turning out at the polls, electing our first female president, and sending Donald Trump into political obscurity.

So, with 10 days left until the election, I am turning the mic/keyboard over to my mom, Rochelle Davis, to talk about an issue she is passionate about. The role and power of women!

The future is female!

There is a lot of uncertainty as we head into the final days of this election. The polls are razor-thin, and the outcome of this race is unknown. What is clear, however, is that women, specifically young women, will play a deciding factor in this election. Celinda Lake, a national pollster believes that young women could be the secret surge for Harris.

And there are a lot of reasons for women to be engaged in this election.

Of course, there is the obvious: Kamala Harris will be the first woman and the first woman of color to be President. This is also the first presidential election since the overturning of Roe v Wade and Donald Trump is an adjudicated rapist with a history of sexual assault.

Donald Trump is also using misogyny and outdated ideas of gender norms to court a cohort of male voters. The public discourse has been full of misogynistic language by Trump and his surrogates, perfectly amplified by these recent comments by Tucker Carlson.

Sounds to me like he is creating a permission structure for men to beat their partners and children. Remember, this rant took place while he was introducing Trump, whose unwanted physical behavior with women is well documented.

Cultural misogyny is not the only reason women should turn out for Harris. There are plenty of policy reasons as well. Here are a few:

Reproductive rights and abortion:
- Kamala Harris will protect women’s rights to access abortion, contraception, IVF, and other life-saving healthcare.
- Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda won’t just stop at a national abortion ban. They have plans to attack access to birth control, IVF and create a national database of pregnancies so they can monitor and control your body.
The Supreme Court:
- The next president will likely appoint three justices to the Supreme Court. If Kamala Harris wins, she can flip the court's power to a 5-4 progressive advantage. If Donald Trump wins, he will solidify an extreme right 7-2 Supreme Court for the remainder of my lifetime. This would mean that Donald Trump will have appointed 6 of the 9 Supreme Court justices. We’ve already seen the damage Trump’s court has caused women. I’m horrified to imagine the carnage a 7-2 Trump court would cause.
Childcare:
- Kamala Harris’ goal is to cap childcare costs at 7% of working families income. One way she’ll do this is by extending the child tax credits and putting more money in your pockets.
- Donald Trump and JD Vance think you should ask grandma for help.
Maternal Mortality:
- Kamala Harris has spent her entire career working to improve maternal outcomes. As Vice President, she created the first national health and safety standards for maternal care. The Biden/Harris administration passed legislation allowing states to expand Medicaid’s postpartum care to a full year. This resulted in 46 states adopting this new policy.
- Donald Trump doesn’t even have a concept for this issue.

Of course, women are breadwinners and care about issues facing working families. We also care about a healthy environment, the future of our planet, and gun violence. Harris has clear plans for these that reflect her values of freedom, equity, and opportunity.

As women, we find ourselves at a precarious crossroads. Our rights have been rolled back, misogyny is on the rise, and Donald Trump is using outdated ideas of gender norms to court a cohort of male voters.

On the other hand, our political power has never been stronger, and if we show up to the polls (or vote early) in huge numbers, we can save this country from fascism, elect the first female president, and move our country in a better direction.

Here is what our Gen Z fellows have been saying about this and many other issues. Help us share these voices by using our fellows toolkit.