In recent years, and especially during critical election seasons, identity politics have become a big part of American political discourse, with both Democrats and Republicans leveraging issues of race, gender, and class to engage voters and adopt identity-driven platforms to appeal to specific voting blocs. Vice President Kamala Harris’s entry as a female, mixed-race candidate has brought up questions about whether focusing on identity is distracting us from the issues at hand. Those who don’t think so argue that voters from diverse backgrounds want to see their unique concerns addressed, and identity politics offers a pathway for inclusion, representation, and empowerment for groups that have been historically sidelined. Those who think it is holding us back argue it distracts from broader policy discussions, prevents constructive dialogue on solutions that benefit everyone, and risks alienating large segments of the electorate who may feel excluded from the conversation.

As voters are deciding who to vote for, we debate the question: In the 2024 Presidential Election, Are Identity Politics Holding Us Back?