America Isn’t Ready For a Woman President. But Not For the Reason You Think

Last year, while promoting her new book, former First Lady Michelle Obama made a striking claim. 

“You all aren’t ready for a woman,” she said during a conversation with actress Tracee Ellis Ross. “You are not.” 

As Obama put it: “There’s still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel they can be led by a woman.” And while sexism certainly contributed to both former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign losses, there’s another factor at play.

The rising tide of political violence against women is rewriting the pipeline of who gets to lead. With midterm elections already underway in several states across the U.S., it is more important than ever that we prioritize safety in our electoral processes.

Large-scale acts of violence, such as the brutal assassinations of former Minnesota state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and TurningPoint USA founder Charlie Kirk, seem to be becoming more frequent. In January, Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance during a town hall. Her attacker, Anthony Kazmierczak, has made posts online in support of President Trump. Moreover, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from her seat in the House, citing threats and fear of political violence.

Political violence in the U.S. disproportionately impacts women. Women are three to four times more likely than men to experience gendered abuse. Women are also significantly more likely to experience abuse of a sexual nature. Making the choice to serve in public office as a woman often comes with the cost of increased threats and gender-based targeting. Politically-motivated attacks leave many Americans afraid to engage in the democratic process. Research from the Brennan Center found that half of the women who held local office and experienced threats in their position said they were less willing to run for reelection or higher office.

Political violence against women is not unique to those serving in elected office. Women make up 80 percent of the U.S. election workforce, where they are also victims of targeted, gendered harassment. An increase in election integrity challenges has created a more hostile relationship between election officials, poll workers and everyday volunteers who are overwhelmingly women. 

Female election officials receive the brunt of attacks from election deniers, and other research found that threatening messages against female election officials often include sexual or misogynistic language. Political violence not only threatens to oust women from elected positions but also from managing our elections.

Washington state is leading the charge in advancing legislation to end political violence. Earlier this year, Democratic state Rep. Liz Berry introduced HB 2333, which would have increased criminal penalties for threats against elected officials and strengthened confidentiality protections for officials’ private residential addresses. The proposal is deeply personal for Berry, who previously served as legislative director to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.). In that position, she witnessed an attacker shoot Giffords in the head during a constituent event. Since becoming an elected official, Berry has faced threats of violence herself.

For a democracy to function fully and effectively, each of its citizens must be allowed to engage. Because of disproportionate levels of political violence, there is a fundamental lack of security for women in political positions. Despite playing a critical role in ensuring our elections run securely and effectively, women receive heightened gendered and sexual threats. 

An attack on women is an attack on democracy. When women are not in the rooms where important decisions are being made due to threats or harassment, our democracy suffers from one less critical citizen perspective. It’s up to us to create an environment where women feel safe casting their ballots, working at polling locations and running for office. 

Increased safety provisions, such as keeping election workers’ addresses confidential, displaying election safety information at polling places and advancing reporting of instances of political violence, are critical policy measures that must be taken to keep our elections safe during the midterms and beyond. 

Only when legislation that advances protections for civic engagement increases will America be closer to being ready for a woman president.

Amara Nnabue, Logan Payne, and Carolina Nazario lead the policy team at Her Rising Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to helping girls rise into positions of leadership. In 2025, they co-founded Her Action, a campaign committed to ending political violence against women.