A Democratic ally of both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that there is a “feeling of betrayal” toward white women – the majority of whom voted for President-elect Donald Trump – who she bluntly stated, “is a sexist” and “white nationalist.”
“Racism and sexism seem to be the reason,” said Melanie L. Campbell, who chairs the minority advocacy group Power of the Ballot Action Fund and also served on a committee of women who advised Biden in selecting Harris as his running mate. “White women, who were very much a part, we thought this time, would actually join forces with all women and vote for the first woman president, the first Black and South Asian woman president.”
Campbell told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday that she was given “a glimpse of hope” when groups supporting Harris like “White Women for Kamala” and "White Dudes for Kamala” sprouted up when the vice president ascended to the top of the ticket in July.
“But the results bear out, at least the early numbers, show 53% of white women voted for Donald Trump, who is a sexist, who is a white nationalist. And so, there's a lot of feeling of betrayal in this moment, but also, we know that Kamala Harris ran an awesome race with 100 days.”
Campbell added that while it “wasn’t her race to run,” Harris didn’t lose “by very much.” But, she conceded, “the way it happened is the way it happened.”
“So – I also want to say that there were Black women who won – so there are glimpses of hope, but when it comes to the top job, if you will, for whatever the reason, this country is not ready to elect a woman, let alone a Black woman, to the highest position in the land," Campbell told O'Donnell.
She concluded her interview by saying that the country would have to "go through a reckoning" over the next few years because racism "is not over."