House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking elected woman in the United States, cited “a certain element of misogyny” that may get in the way of a woman winning a presidential election, but said “America is ready” for a female president who can “connect well with the American people.”
Pelosi, a California Democrat, told reporters she believes Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden have beaten a slew of female candidates running for the Democratic presidential nomination because voters were familiar with them.
Biden was a high-profile vice president for President Barack Obama for eight years, and Sanders generated a big following when he ran for president in 2016.
“People knew them best,” Pelosi said.
Earlier Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announced she is ending her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, following in the footsteps of Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Kamala Harris of California, and Marianne Williamson, who have all dropped out of the race.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Democrat, is the sole woman left in the race, but polling and a low delegate count indicate she has no chance at winning the nomination.
Pelosi said a woman can win the White House by having authority on national security and the economy, “and not just we are going to take on the soft issues.”
Pelosi became the first female House speaker in 2007 and held the job for four years. She won the gavel back again in 2019.
Pelosi said she does not believe any of the women were rejected because of their gender, but she advised women not to ask for votes based on their gender.
Pelosi avoided that strategy in her rise through the House Democratic leadership, which she called “the marble ceiling.”
“The worst thing I ever could have said to anybody is, we should be for Nancy because we should have a woman,” Pelosi said.
“Loser proposition. Winning proposition is, we should be for Nancy because she would be the best one to do the job.”
