With Trump’s win, some women wonder: Will the US ever see a female president?

Voters had nan chance this election to break nan highest solid ceiling successful American authorities by electing Kamala Harris nan nation’s first female president. Instead, they returned Donald Trump to nan White House, a comeback that relied connected important -- moreover somewhat improved – support among women.

Some female voters connected Wednesday mourned nan missed opportunity to nonstop a female to nan Oval Office and wondered when, if ever, it mightiness happen.

“I americium conscionable aghast,” said Precious Brady-Davis, a Black transgender female who’d conscionable won a two-year word connected a Chicago-area h2o guidance committee — but her joyousness successful that was tempered. “I americium disappointed successful my chap Americans that, erstwhile again, we did not elite a qualified female to nan presidency.”

Those who supported Trump — for illustration Katherine Mickelson, a 20-year-old assemblage student from Sioux Falls, South Dakota — said the race came down to values and to issues for illustration nan economy, not gender. Even Harris herself sought her spot successful history without dwelling connected her gender.

“While I deliberation a batch of women would for illustration to spot a female president, myself included,” Mickelson said, “we aren’t conscionable going to blindly ballot for a woman.”

Despite nan history-making imaginable of Harris’ campaign, she wasn’t capable to grow connected President Joe Biden’s 2020 support among women to cement a win, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping study of much than 120,000 voters nationwide. Fifty-three percent of women supported Harris, compared pinch 46% for Trump — somewhat narrower than Biden’s advantage among them successful 2020.

The imaginable of electing nan first female president didn’t rank precocious arsenic a motivator for voters. Only astir 1 successful 10 voters said nan truth that Harris would beryllium nan first female was nan azygous astir important facet for their vote, while astir one-quarter said it was an important driver, but not nan astir important.

Denise Martin successful Georgia had a grim view: “I really consciousness for illustration nan mostly of Americans still aren’t fresh for a woman. They are truthful short-sighted.” That included, she said, immoderate chap female voters.

Women were much apt than men to opportunity electing nan first female president was astatine slightest a facet successful their vote, VoteCast showed, though fewer said it was nan main driver and astir 4 successful 10 women said it wasn’t a factor.

Black women were particularly motivated by nan imaginable for nan first female president — astir a 3rd said it was nan astir important factor.

Maya Davis theorized that Harris’ personality arsenic a Black and South Asian female “absolutely” played a domiciled successful her defeat. As a Black female herself, nan 27-year-old North Carolina lawyer said she’s perpetually forced to beryllium herself.

“I don’t deliberation there’s thing she could person done otherwise unfortunately,” she said of Harris. “Maybe not beryllium a woman.”

Female supporters of Trump, 78 — who adopted a hypermasculine run style, utilized sexist tropes and vowed to protect women “whether they for illustration it aliases not” — said they recovered his rhetoric possibly unfortunate aliases hyperbolic, but little troubling than concerns astir nan economy, migration and abortion.

Krissy Bunner of Greenville, South Carolina, called Trump a “promoter of women” and said nan early is “so overmuch brighter” for them because Trump was elected.

“He does truthful much, you know, for us,” nan 56-year-old said. She described women who favored Harris arsenic misled by nan media, and said Trump’s stringent separator policies and stance connected barring transgender athletes from women’s sports would use each women.

Virginia King, 19, of Dallas, said astir Trump’s unscripted nature. “He’s conscionable benignant of outspoken astir what he thinks and what he does, whereas different group hide it,” she said. “It’s astir apt not ideal, but it doesn’t make maine not support him.”

Other women recovered nan erstwhile president’s bombast ominous and feared a 2nd Trump word would further frighten their authorities 2 years aft his Supreme Court appointees helped overturn nan correct to abortion.

“All of women’s protections are going to spell distant if you don’t protect nan basal basic rumor of populist to statesman with,” said retired coach Mary Ellen Brown, 66, of Newtown, Pennsylvania. Brown said she dressed successful achromatic Wednesday and feared her family was losing religion successful their country.

After Harris stepped into nan title successful July, Trump doubled down connected banter that galore recovered paternalistic – and worse — arsenic he tried to adjacent the gender gap. He besides offended galore by calling Harris “stupid” aliases “lazy.” His moving mate, JD Vance, called nan vice president “trash.”

The sermon didn’t fuss Nina Christina, a North Carolina caregiver much worried astir feeding her children. Christina, 35, voted for Trump and said she conscionable hopes to debar being “underwater.”

“It shouldn’t beryllium this difficult to past successful mundane life,” said Christina, adding that Harris already had a chance to hole nan economy.

Harris, 60, bypassed nan suffragist achromatic worn by Hillary Clinton successful 2016 and seldom said astir nan solid ceiling during a frenzy of energetic run stops since becoming nan Democratic nominee successful July.

Her supporters welcomed nan upbeat temper aft what they saw arsenic a bid of setbacks for women’s advancement successful caller years: a workload surge during nan pandemic, erstwhile children were sent location from schoolhouse successful 2020; nan overturning of Roe v. Wade successful 2022; and nan dependable drumbeat of #MeToo cases, immoderate lodged against Trump.

In Minneapolis, 90-year-old Audrey Wesley -- who’s voted successful much statesmanlike elections than she tin count disconnected nan apical of her caput -- said she’d been hoping a Harris triumph would usher successful a bipartisan resurgence.

“I can’t judge a man that has done this overmuch against nan rule tin moreover beryllium moving for president,” Wesley said, referring to nan litany of ineligible battles, including intersexual battle allegations, Trump brings to nan office. “Our strategy is broken.”

Relatively fewer voters said Trump’s ineligible cases were a awesome facet successful their decision-making this election, according to AP VoteCast. Only astir a 4th of Trump voters said nan ineligible cases involving Trump were astatine slightest an important factor, but astir 8 successful 10 Harris voters did.

Some women voters knowledgeable nan gender spread wrong their ain homes aliases families — women for illustration Dee Bertino, 55, of Moorestown, New Jersey, who spent her first day pinch her hubby arguing astir trickle-down economics. Twenty-five years and 2 sons later, she mailed successful a ballot for Harris while her hubby voted for Trump.

Bertino said her apical interest was women’s rights, but she besides bemoaned nan deficiency of civility she felt Trump had unleashed. Her husband, Bob, 58, pinch whom she runs a intersexual wellness company, besides supported abortion rights, she said, but felt nan economy, migration and different issues were much important.

Having a female president is “not that big” for me, Bertino said. “But I genuinely judge that our populist is facing its largest threat successful history, and Trump must beryllium stopped.”

Bertino and her hubby hotly statement authorities and nan election. That’s not existent for Martin, successful Peachtree City, Georgia,

Martin, 61, is simply a formation attendant. Her partner is simply a pilot. He voted for Trump, for nan 3rd time. She voted for Harris. Speaking astir authorities is fraught and painful, and they cognize to debar it.

When Clinton mislaid successful 2016, Martin said, she was beside herself and couldn’t talk to her partner for days. This year, Martin had hoped to privately observe nan ascension of nan first female president, a female she supported not because she was a woman, but because she was nan correct candidate: “so thoughtful, truthful smart, truthful well-spoken.”

But nan news did not look good, truthful she went to bed. She awoke to spot nan title called for Trump, and grew tearful. Among her main concerns: nan early of democracy; wellness care, particularly reproductive attraction for young women; respect for science; ambiance policy; and nan United States’ opinionated successful nan world.

As Clinton herself has said, Harris didn’t request to stress nan gender issue, because nan nationalist has grown much accustomed to seeing female candidates. Seven women, representing 3 governmental parties, ran for president successful 2020.

”We now don’t conscionable person 1 image of a personification who happens to beryllium a female who ran for president – namely me,” she told nan AP successful September. “Now we person a overmuch amended opportunity for women candidates, starting pinch Kamala, to beryllium viewed successful a measurement that conscionable takes for granted nan truth that, yes, conjecture what? She’s a woman.”

Trump elector Elizabeth Herbert, a retired homeschool coach from Wake Forest, North Carolina, saw Trump arsenic a beardown leader and family man. She would still for illustration to spot a female president. She conscionable didn’t clasp Harris.

“I deliberation a female could do a awesome occupation arsenic president,” she said. “I don’t deliberation she is nan correct woman.”

Some women who’d voted for Harris told AP they were excessively stunned to speak astir nan news. “I’m devastated,” texted one; “I’ll request a small time,” different wrote. Others said they were forcing themselves to move forward.

“We’ll get done coming and past get immoderate rest,” Martin said, looking guardant to playing trivia pinch her friends later.

“The world is going to change, but we person to find our measurement successful it. We can’t fto this ruin us.”

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Associated Press reporters Hannah Schoenbaum successful Salt Lake City; Makiya Seminera successful Raleigh, North Carolina; Sophia Tareen successful Chicago; Leah Willingham successful Charleston, West Virginia; and Michael Goldberg successful Minneapolis contributed.