DURHAM, N.H.—With Vice President Kamala Harris on track to become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to head a major party ticket, she may also break the highest glass ceiling in U.S. politics. Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor emerita of history at the University of New Hampshire and author of "The Highest Glass Ceiling: Women's Quest for the American Presidency," can speak to the significance of Harris’s journey, what potentially lies ahead and the arduous road women before her have taken for the American presidency.

“Vice President Kamala Harris stands on the shoulders of the nearly 200 women before her who ran for the nation’s highest office, including most recently Hillary Clinton,” said Fitzpatrick. “Each confronted some similar challenges but also faced unique circumstances imposed by the historical and political context that framed their race. This is especially true of the 2024 presidential campaign Harris is entering.” 

Is the United States ready for a female president? Fitzpatrick says the perennial question continues to be asked even as Americans have expressed deep concerns about the fate of the nation.

Fitzpatrick, who specializes in modern American political and intellectual history, is the author and editor of eight books, including The New York Times bestseller "Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation," which was the basis for the widely admired documentary film "Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy," released in 2013.

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Caption:  "The Highest Glass Ceiling" by Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor emerita of history at the University of New Hampshire, offers historical insights on women’s pursuit of the Oval Office, then and now.