“Isn’t it amazing that women feel they have to do that,” Ms. Gonzalez said. “We’ve been made to feel that a little anger isn’t acceptable, that we have to tone it down or somehow take a breather.”
Ms. Warren’s approach obviously doesn’t resonate for all women, even progressives who want a woman to win the White House.
“You know, sometimes you need to listen as much as you speak, and I just don’t know if she’s doing that,” said Marlena Brown, a 56-year-old Las Vegas hotel housekeeper who saw Ms. Warren speak at the Culinary Union hall in December. “But, you know, as a woman, it’s hard. I do believe a woman needs to be elected, but it’s tough to balance everything we want.”
Meredith Sanderson, a 21-year-old materials engineering major at the University of California, Los Angeles, cast her ballot for Ms. Warren this week precisely because of her approach to women.
“I like the way she talks about women’s issues, the way she actively brings up discrimination she faced as a pregnant teacher,” said Ms. Sanderson, who added that she has been surprised to see how much Ms. Warren has struggled in early contests.
Shelly Ciarella, 41, remembers the morning after Donald Trump defeated Mrs. Clinton in 2016, a then 7-year-old Emily woke up with a different question: “How could a bully beat a woman?”
Ms. Ciarella thought about it for a long time, wondering how she could keep her daughter optimistic and interested in politics. As it turned out, it did not take much effort, but Ms. Ciarella urged her to read about each of the Democratic candidates. When Ms. Warren’s Las Vegas town hall event was announced, Ms. Ciarella knew she would bring Emily. Most of all, Ms. Ciarella said, she wanted her daughter to know that “we’re still swinging at the ball.”