Female presidential, vice presidential candidates remain rare in US history

By Dilara Karatas

Days ahead of the US presidential elections, the possibility that Vice President Kamala Harris may become the country's first female president has brought to light the experiences of other female politicians who previously ran for the offices of president or vice president.

After US President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy in late July, the Democrats nominated Vice President Harris for the White House.

If Harris wins the Nov. 5 election, she will become the first female president in the country’s history.

Despite many women attempting to become US president or vice president, most of them represented smaller parties or were unable to gain public prominence, which limited their chances in the presidential race.

In August 2019, Biden selected Harris as his vice presidential candidate.

After Biden's victory in November, biracial Harris made history as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian American to assume the office of US vice president.

- Trailblazing women in US politics: From Victoria Woodhull to Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton became a presidential candidate in 2015 for the Democratic Party.

With a majority in the primaries, Clinton was officially nominated by the Democratic Party, becoming the first woman to be nominated for presidential election by a major US political party.

Although Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, by about 2.9 million votes, she lost to Republican candidate Donald Trump in the Electoral College, which officially decides who will be the president.

Geraldine Ferraro became notable as the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party, representing the Democrats.

Margaret Chase Smith, who worked on women’s rights, education, and health care, became the first woman to run for US president as a Republican candidate in 1964.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made history as the first female Republican vice presidential candidate and the second female vice presidential candidate from a major US party.

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, made history in the 1972 presidential election as the first Black woman to run as a Democratic candidate.

Victoria Woodhull, who ran in the 1872 presidential election, is recognized as the first woman to ever run for US president.

The US presidential election is set for next Tuesday.