Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent most of her 2016 presidential campaign reminding her voters that she's a woman, and that by electing her president, "ceilings" could be shattered. 

Obviously, that didn't work out for her, and it's no surprise that Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic Party's likely nominee, isn't following that same playbook, according to Newsweek.

You would think that after pushing the same message in the 2008 Democratic primaries before ultimately dropping out she would have gone for another angle.

While Harris is, in fact, the first woman to serve in the White House, she's largely avoided pushing that message.

Different strategies

Clinton beat the nation to death on the gender angle. She even used it in her 2016 concession speech after former President Donald Trump took her to the cleaners.

"To all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion," Clinton said at the time.

Harris could easily lean on that message given her position and probably do much better with it, but instead, she's seemingly decided to ride on the coattails of the Biden-Harris administration, pushing "accomplishments" at her recent campaign rallies.

Newsweek noted:

On Thursday, Harris' campaign released its first video, in which the Democrat emphasized the theme of freedom and showcased her policies on the economy, gun reform and reproductive rights. She also homed in on, as the Biden campaign did, defeating former President Donald Trump.

VP Harris bragged that she was the first elected female vice president at an election night party in 2020 after Biden won the White House.

"While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities," she said at the time.

Some experts agree

Harris's strategy of making the campaign about beating Trump seems to be generally accepted by political observers who agree it could be the best play moving forward.

"She will surely tap into enthusiasm about her history-making potential, but I think she will tread carefully because appeals around race and gender cut both ways for the first Black woman to be nominated by a major party," said Betsy Fischer Martin, the executive director at American University's Women and Politics Institute.

She added, "Democrats know that, much like Biden before her, Harris is largely a vessel to stop Trump and Trumpism."

Only time will tell if Harris keeps with that particular strategy.