Now that it is a week after the midterms ballots have officially been cast and more and more results come in, I think it is important to reflect on some of the candidates that made history this year. I’m sure most if not all members of this blog are more than aware about what is going on in the news and politics these days so honestly this post is more for me than it is for you. For me, this is a post to reflect and know that no matter what side of the political spectrum you are from representation matters and this election made me really excited and hopeful again for the future of our legislative body. It gives me hope that the issues that we march, protest, and die for will one day be issues that our children will no longer face but only read and write papers on in their future classes. There are still many life-threatening issues at hand that need to be addressed but for a brief moment, I want to reiterate the good that is happening across the country right now.
Our first Indigenous members of Congress were elected this past midterm and they are women, Sherice Davids, and Deb Haaland are now going to be the first Indigenous women ever elected. Davids is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation while Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna. Davids also identifies as Lesbian which also makes her the first openly LGBTQ+ Kansas Congressperson. Davids’ previous experience includes working as a lawyer and as a mixed martial arts fighter, as seen by her super awesome muscles (heart eyes).
Other first come out of Michigan and Minnesota as the first Muslim women are elected to Congress. Rashida Tlaid is from Michigan and Ilhan Omar is from Minnesota and will also be the first Somali-American member, representing a large population of refugees living in the greater Minnesota area.
Other great news comes out of Arizona today as spineless-Jeff Flake’s seat is now occupied by the United States first openly bisexual member of Congress, Krysten Sinema, who has defeated her opponent Martha McSally.
Texas also has elected their first Hispanic women to Congress as Texas voters elect Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortes is now one of the youngest people to ever serve as a Congresswomen and comes from a working-class background, just buying her first couch a mere two weeks before she was elected. She has a degree in economics and worked as a bartender to make ends meet until being elected to serve her constituents in the big house.
Sometimes it is frustrating to know that so many people feel that women should not be in places of power because they are “too emotional” or “might start a war if it’s their time of the month” while all wars so far in the great USA have been started by male presidents. These new members of local and national governments are going to change the game, adding new experience and perspective to a game too often only played by the old white men of the country. It makes me so hopeful that better things are to come, even if not right away for the future. To this, I say thank you, 2016, for encouraging so many women to run and win.
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