Diversity and the Democrats

By the summer of 2019, the Democratic Party's line up of presidential hopefuls resembled the images in a college recruitment pamphlet filled with racially and ethnically diverse students and faculty members. In the same spirit, the party's celebration of diversity obscured the realities of the long-standing power dynamics that make it hard for women, newcomers, and people of color to rise in its ranks. After months of debates hosting many firsts and trailblazers, the field was whittled down to two of the oldest, most politically experienced, white, male candidates. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders may have represented two ends of the Democratic Party's ideological spectrum, but their gender and race gave some voters—including some voters of color—comfort, as pundits questioned whether it was too risky for a woman candidate or a black candidate or a Jewish candidate to run against Donald Trump.