Op-Ed: Black Women Can Still Lead Democratic Tickets Despite Losses By Kevin Harris

Black women remain the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituency. That reality has been repeated so often it risks sounding cliché. Yet despite Black women’s contributions, many Democrats seem all too ready to accept Black women’s labor but not their leadership.

Questions about Black women and leadership continue to linger following the party’s fumbled release of its 2024 autopsy. The autopsy cited the Biden Administration’s inadequate support for Kamala Harris as a major contributor to the party’s eventual loss to Donald Trump. Many wonder if Democrats could’ve stopped Trump had the nominee not been a Black woman.

But Georgia’s latest Democratic primary results offered another reminder that voters still place enormous trust in Black women leaders. That trust comes even after Harris’ 2024 loss to Trump and Stacey Abram’s historic but unsuccessful bids for governor in the peach state.

Now that the General Election ticket has been set, Georgia is moving forward with an impressive roster of Black women. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ crushing victory to secure the 2026 Democratic nomination for governor set the tone. Bottoms will campaign alongside Black women nominees for key statewide offices including Attorney General, Secretary of State and Labor Commissioner.

This November, 12 Black women are on the ballot for seven of Georgia’s nine statewide offices and five congressional seats, marking one of the strongest showings of Black women’s political leadership in the state’s history. A Bottoms victory would be historic. No Black woman has ever been elected governor of a state.

Georgia underscores a political truth that should not be ignored. Voters are still willing to trust Black women at the ballot box despite failed bids from Harris and Abrams.

Republicans and too many Democrats have attempted to cherry pick those losses as evidence that voters may be cooling on Black women candidates.

Georgia Democrats just suggested otherwise.

They asked a valid question too many Democrats are uncomfortable acknowledging. If white male moderates can run and lose time and again, why should we preemptively disqualify Black women?

Georgia Democrats did not retreat from Black women and instead reaffirmed their belief that Black women remain among the party’s most effective communicators, coalition builders, and organizers.

The lesson from Georgia is not that Democrats are ignoring the electoral challenges facing the party. It is that Democrats still see Black women as central to solving those challenges.

That confidence is not rooted in nostalgia or identity politics alone. It is rooted in the receipts that Black women can show for their efforts to build the party. Black women have led voter registration drives, turnout operations and fundraising networks. They have governed major cities, served in Congress and led federal agencies.

And outside Georgia, there continues to be growing evidence of Democrats standing behind Black women. Despite disappointment following Jasmine Crockett’s Texas primary loss this year, the party is poised to have an historic number of Black women serving in the United States Senate. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton is heavily favored to win her senate bid in November. She’ll join Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks and Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester in Congress, marking the first time in history three Black women served as senators at the same time.

A Black woman is likely to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser in Washington DC following three successful terms leading the nation’s capital. Washington will join the ranks of Baltimore and Atlanta where Black women have succeeded each other as Mayor of major cities. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass has overcome steep odds to potentially secure another term in November. If successful, Bass will remain the only Black woman leading a top five city ranked by population. And Harris continues to top many 2028 polls for president as she evaluates another potential bid.

The Democratic autopsy didn’t really answer much. But one thing Democrats should stop obsessing over is the electoral viability of Black women. Democrats should not question if voters will stand behind Black women. They should not question if voters can assess Black women candidates based on the same qualities as white male candidates who rarely have their electability questioned in the same way.

Georgia Democrats still believe Black women are among the party’s strongest political assets. And results around the country show Georgia Democrats are not alone.

So might we see another Black woman atop the Democratic ticket in 2028? Georgia’s primary suggests that’s not as far fetched as many would like us to believe. But should a Black woman come forward and compete, Democrats should recognize that race and gender are not the disqualifier many would like it to be.

Kevin Harris is a Democratic strategist who has advised over 100 campaigns and ballot measures, including the past five presidential elections, served in the Obama Administration, cabinet member for two big city mayors and Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus.