The end of the female presidential battle

Tulsi Gabbard is for some reason still in the US Democratic presidential nomination race. But basically women are out of the race. Their turn will come, possiby in 2024 or 2028, but it's down to two old white men. If you're a woman with presidential dreams that must be pretty sobering. Elizabeth Warren was the last real female standard bearer but somehow she never quite cut the mustard as we say in Blighty. Too many twists and turns in her campaign until you weren't quite sure where she stood on certain issues, such as medical care. She sounded pretty good in some of the TV debates but I don't think I would ever have considered putting money on her going all the way to the July nomination convention. Other notable women in the race, Kamala Harris, Kirsty Gillibrand and Tulsi Gabbard, all had their moments in the campaign but never really looked like obvious winners, although Kamala Harris held my vote for a long time. So there wasn't a Hillary Clinton among them, and of course, Hillary never made it anyway, defeated by the interloper superstar Barack Obama. Looking ahead to 2024, all of these female contenders could try again if Trump wins reelection in November, although I suspect Senator Warren will have had enough, and she will be getting on a bit by then. More time with her family will crop up as an incentive to stay out of a future race. And by 2024 there will be other potential female candidates moving in, notably I suspect, for the Republican side, Nikki Hayley, former US ambassador to the United Nations. If she runs she will face tough competition from the male species, in particular her old boss, Mike Pompeo. With that sort of competition it is possible that the first woman to make it to the White House as president may have to wait for another few years which to my mind would be truly disappointing. I've gone off Pompeo in recent months but remain hugely impressed by Nikki Hayley and I think she would make a terrific president. But Warren, Klobuchar, Gabbard and Gillibrand, after their experience in the 2020 election campaign, might feel there is more to life than battling against the men for the top job.