Page 36 of 107 Days

The signs went up overnight at the bus stops in Denver.

Metal, official-looking, professionally affixed to the bus stop poles.

BLACKS MUST SIT

AT THE BACK OF THE BUS

KAMALA’S MIGRANTS

SIT IN THE FRONT

Similar signs showed up a thousand miles away, in Chicago.

Later in the campaign, a Nevada homeowner’s yard sign supporting me was defaced with the N-word. The doorbell camera showed the vandal toting all the equipment he needed to do the job.

When I became top of the ticket, Republican lawmakers had a closed-door meeting, the message of which was a warning to lay off overt attacks on race and gender and restrict criticism to my record in the Biden–Harris administration.

This came after several members attacked me as a “DEI hire.” All of this did nothing to lower the volume of Trump’s dog-whistling.

Sadly, racist, sexist attacks are not exclusive to Donald Trump. And someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make those bus signs.

As the first woman, or Black woman, in every office I have run for, except the Senate, where I was the second, racism and sexism have always been present.

They were not new to me: I would not let them throw me off my game.