Democratic Self-Segregation by Race Is as Embarrassing as It Is Menacing

Kamala Harris’s allies deeply resent the suggestion that their candidate for the White House is the “DEI candidate” — that is, when they’re not promoting the idea that Harris “would be a DEI president” and “that’s a good thing.”

These conflicting messages are reconcilable only if you assume that they are designed to be consumed by distinct audiences who have little contact with one another. If Harris’s supporters are operating on the assumption that America’s political tribes self-segregate in that fashion, it would help explain the bizarre effort to categorize and sequester the vice president’s backers by race.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Kamala Harris’s allies deeply resent the suggestion that their candidate for the White House is the “DEI candidate” — that is, when they’re not promoting the idea that Harris “would be a DEI president” and “that’s a good thing.”

These conflicting messages are reconcilable only if you assume that they are designed to be consumed by distinct audiences who have little contact with one another. If Harris’s supporters are operating on the assumption that America’s political tribes self-segregate in that fashion, it would help explain the bizarre effort to categorize and sequester the vice president’s backers by race.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.