Can America elect a woman president? After Kamala Harris’s defeat by Donald Trump, there’s still hope for strategists

CHICAGO (WLS) — The chance to send Kamala Harris to the White House as the nation’s first female president ended late Tuesday when she was defeated by Donald Trump.

According to political strategist Delmarie Cobb, the failure to elect the first female president comes down to one word: misogyny.

“This is this country. This country has a problem with women leaders,” she said.

Cobb said she was disappointed in 2016 when Hillary Clinton lost the presidency to Trump and had her hopes raised again by Harris.

“I felt energized again by the thought that maybe I would see it. Again, this is not only a woman, but a black woman, so I thought, oh my God, is this really going to happen in my lifetime? But now I know it will probably happen.” this will not happen in my lifetime,” she said.

But not everyone gave up hope.

“I know that in my lifetime I will see a woman president,” said state Rep. Margaret Krock.

Kroc said the sticking point for Harris was messaging and that entering the race 100 days before the election was not enough time to reach voters.

“She was at the disadvantage of not having to run a primary, and then not even getting the opportunity after winning the primary to continue that campaign,” said Kroc, who represents the 12th District.

Although Harris downplayed gender issues on the campaign trail, her supporters said they were looking forward to watching her lead the way.

“I have a 16-year-old daughter at home. And this is the second time I have had to wake her up and break her heart,” said state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado.

Delgado said the next step is to regroup.

“We’re going to continue to do what we think is important. We’re going to focus on things we can influence,” she said.

Some politicians and strategists say this won’t be the last time a woman will run for president. But they say their goal for now is to get more women elected in midterm elections within two years.