We are less than a week away from the midterm and Taylor Swift, Obama, and I all really want you all to vote! (Seriously. Vote.)
This year, a record-breaking amount of women are running for office. It seems that the Trump presidency has inspired women and people of color to make their voices heard, an excellent response to a tumultuous time. We should all take a cue from all of the amazing people running for office and speak out.
Before we all rush the polls on Tuesday, here is an overview of some of these trailblazing women!
Stacey Abrams
Stacey Abrams is the former Georgia Democratic leader running for the Governor of Georgia. If she is to win, she will be the first female African American Governor in the history of the US, and she will break the pattern of Republican dominance in Georgia, as currently the Governor, State Attorney General, and Secretary of State are all Republicans. She has been endorsed by Congressman John Lewis, a highly respected African American Congressman who was once attacked by the President, and the former US President Jimmy Carter. She is running on a liberal platform and she is certainly one to watch this election. Hopefully, she makes history next Tuesday!
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a young but mighty Bronx native running for Congress in New York’s 14th Congressional district. If she wins this upcoming election, she will be the youngest woman in Congress. In the 2018 primaries, she caused a huge upset, beating incumbent Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Ocasio-Cortez is running as a Democrat, but is described as a Democratic Socialist, with a special interest in ending income inequality and fixing New York Education. She has a really good chance of making history this coming Tuesday and we could not be more excited for her.
Debra Haaland
Debra Haaland is a Democratic activist running for an open House sear in New Mexico. She is an experienced and well known Politician in the state, but this is her biggest election thus far. She is likely about to become the first Native American woman in the House of Representatives, and has worked to represent Native Americans her whole career. If she wins, it will be a long overdue yet monumental achievement in terms of representation.
Each of these women is on the brink of making history in her state. The amount of women and women of color in particular running for office is extremely encouraging, and we should all consider it our civic duty and privilege to make it to the polls this year.
Check out all the women running for office this year, and enjoy voting next week! This has the potential to be a monumental year!
Emma Ragusa is a Copy Editor for The Rational Creature.