Kamala Harris on the Edge of Leadership

How Kamala Harris fell from the glass cliff when she was meant to shatter the glass ceiling.

By: Mia Orris

Credit: Yahoo News (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Kamala Harris gives her concession speech after the 2024 presidential election.

---

One hundred days to build a campaign. One hundred days to gather resources, craft policies, and secure endorsements. One hundred days to become a symbol of hope—a beacon for those scared of what lay ahead. Kamala Harris trailblazed her path to the presidency, but was it the ticking clock that stopped her or the steep fall of the glass cliff?

The glass cliff phenomenon refers to women being put in positions of power when they are already destined to fail. They are pushed to higher positions during times of crisis, often taking the risk because it’s one of the few chances they’ll get to break the glass ceiling.

However, more often than not, it’s only a setup for failure. Harris didn’t lose the election simply because she’s a woman, but her position in the race was shaped by the very fact that she is one.

The Democratic Party’s decision to thrust Kamala Harris into the race without a true primary process only highlights this dynamic. By evading voters’ input and placing Harris at the forefront, the party framed her not as a candidate chosen by the people, but as a lifeline in a losing race. This approach undermined the legitimacy of her campaign, and amplified the scrutiny and pressure she faced as a potential leader. Joe Biden's presidency was already marked by economic troubles, political polarization, and a downward trend of approval ratings. Who’s to say if it was doomed from the start, but it’s true that these reasons were always going to make a second term difficult to secure. 

Biden’s announcement to drop out of the race shows the Democratic Party’s desperation to keep control, a desperation that defaulted Harris as the candidate. I’m not trying to portray her as a victim—she willingly stepped up as the nominee, and I was glad to see her take on that role. However, we can’t dispute that this wasn’t a race she had years to prepare for, it was a race she was thrown into. She carried the weight of an administration and the weight of a fearful nation whose struggles were pinned on her shoulders. 

Credit: Vogue (Ted Soqui)

In addition to America’s racism problem, it also has a deep-rooted sexism problem–one that hasn’t been solved in eight years, and surely won’t be resolved in another four. The presidency has been held exclusively by men for 235 years. This says more about our nation’s systemic barriers and biases than it does about women’s capabilities—biases that have shaped the highest office and every corner of American society. Whether in politics or business, successful leaders seem to follow the same trend: White male. 

We’ve been conditioned to believe that leadership looks a certain way, that it’s defined by a particular race or gender. This bias runs so deep that it goes unquestioned and unchallenged, even when we are given other qualified, capable options. 

The very thought of equality, of a woman or a person of color having a seat at the table, has been twisted into something that feels like oppression to those who’ve benefited from a system built upon their privilege.

The rise of female leadership and minority populations in positions of power isn’t seen as progress—it’s seen as a threat. This resentment is held by young White men, fueled by a misguided belief that their status is being taken away, and has emboldened our generation to rally behind hate and division. 

This election once again proved that women, especially women of color, have to work twice as hard as men just to be seen as equals. Kamala Harris was idealized to break the glass ceiling but instead fell from the glass cliff. She was forced to bear the weight of not just her own campaign, but the collective struggles of an entire nation grappling with the ever-present issues of racism, sexism, and a crumbling trust in its democracy.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t the clock that ran out on Harris—it was the system itself. A system that repeatedly asks women to break barriers that only set them up for failure. Harris was plunged into a campaign that was already difficult and riddled with challenges, a campaign that she had to fight not only for victory but to prove she belonged.

---

Mia Orris is a senior at University of Florida. In classic Psych major fashion, she feels the need to overanalyze every sector of the world.