One glance at Hillary Clinton’s 2016 failed presidential bid shows that sexism and misogyny still reign supreme in Washington, D.C. And, the way Kamala Harris and Nikki Haley are going at it, double X chromosomes won’t lead to patriarchy’s downfall anytime soon. The women have no problem playing dirty, regularly deriding each other, and landing low blows.
There’s an argument to be made that Harris and Haley are given free rein in the insult world. Undoubtedly, many of their slights would be condemned if they came out of a man’s mouth. Haley’s takedowns are often a dog whistle to gender norm traditionalists, and she’s been accused of “weaponizing” her racial identity against Harris. “She’s using it to attack the other South Asian woman — who has experienced life and moved through the world as a Black-appearing woman,” USC sociology Professor Hajar Yazdiha told the San Francisco Chronicle, noting Haley listed herself as white on her 2001 voter registration form.
Haley has made Harris the focus of her political attacks. In a July 2022 interview with Fox News, she slammed Harris’ speech at the 113th NAACP conference. “Our country has a history of claiming ownership over human bodies,” Harris said. “We must recognize there are those who are fighting to drag us backward,” she continued, criticizing “extremist so-called leaders” for “criminalizing doctors and punishing women” with anti-abortion legislation. Haley clapped back by insisting it’s Harris who’s the extremist. “She’s outrageous,” Haley said. “She’s unbelievably extremist.”
