Some Democrats believe that it may be decades before the United States will get its first female president, according to a new poll.
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Many are questioning whether their party's commitment to diverse candidates — especially women — may lead to further political struggles in the Donald Trump era.
A recent poll of 1251 adults from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research finds about four in 10 Democrats said it's "not very likely" or "not at all likely" that a woman will be elected to the nation's highest office in their lifetime.
That's compared with about one-quarter of Republicans who feel the same.
While despondency is hardly unique for a political party after a high-profile loss, that finding reflects the deep depression that has set in among Democrats about the country and their party after Trump soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Such concerns may already be shaping the Democratic National Committee's search for a new leader.
For the first time in more than a decade, the top candidates for the job are all white men.
And looking further ahead, the party's pessimism is influencing early conversations about the contest for the 2028 presidential nomination.
"We knew men hated women. The last election showed, for some of us, that we underestimated the extent to which some women hate other women," said Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democratic state representative from South Carolina.
"America is as racist and misogynist as it has always been."
Democrats are soul-searching on diversity as they look ahead to the 2028 presidential contest. (AP PHOTO)
Democrats have nominated a woman to run against Trump in two of the past three presidential elections.
In both cases, Trump won decisively, over Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Harris in 2024.
The Democrat who unseated Trump — Joe Biden in 2020 — was a white man.
Adding insult to injury for many Democrats was the long list of allegations brought by women against Trump.
He was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and convicted for a hush money case involving an adult film star.
He was once caught on tape bragging that he could grab women's genitals without consent because he was a celebrity.
Still, Trump narrowly carried every key swing state in November.
Harris had the advantage among women, winning 53 per cent to Trump's 46 per cent, but that margin was somewhat narrower than Biden's.
Trump's support held steady among white women, with slightly more than half supporting him, similar to 2020.
There are early signs that this loss has triggered questions about a core commitment of the modern-day Democratic Party to support minority groups, including women, while pushing diverse candidates into positions of power.
Some Democratic leaders fear that Trump's strong success with working-class white voters — and his modest gains among blacks and Latinos in the election — may signal a political realignment that could transform the political landscape for years to come unless the party changes its approach.
The vote for a Democratic National Committee chair offers the first clue as to the direction of the party during the second Trump administration.
The election is three weeks away, and the leading candidates are Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin state chair, and Ken Martin, the Minnesota state party chair.
Either would be the first white man in the job since Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine left the position in 2011.
Martin and Wikler are considered the strong front-runners in a field of eight candidates who qualified for a candidate forum Saturday, the first of four such gatherings before the February 1 election at the committee's winter meeting in suburban Washington.
Two candidates are women: former presidential contender Marianne Williamson and Quintessa Hathaway, a former congressional candidate, educator and civil rights activist.
The outgoing chair, Jaime Harrison, who is black, said in a statement that the committee will be well-positioned to compete in future elections and push back against Trump's policies.
Meanwhile, some rank-and-file Democrats in early primary states are openly wondering whether the party's next White House nominee would be at a disadvantage if that person is not a straight white man who is Christian. Barack Obama is the only black man to have been elected president in American history.
New Hampshire Democrat Thalia Flores said Harris' loss has made her rethink the political viability of rising stars such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the most prominent woman expected to weigh a 2028 presidential bid.
"It's a shame that we're even having the conversation," Flores said.
Australian Associated Press