News

Midterm Elections: Full of Firsts

Rachel '19

January 10, 2019

The 2018 midterm elections ushered in a wave of “firsts” in United States history, especially for women. These changes allow students and individuals of diverse backgrounds to see themselves represented in the political arena for the first time.

According to The Washington Post, 125 out of the 277 women running for a position won, including the first Muslim women and Native American women in Congress and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman elected to Congress. Furthermore, Time Magazine said a record number of women were elected to the House of Representatives.

Rami ’19, a leader of Marlborough’s Girls Go Global club and attendee of the 2018 Teen Vogue leadership summit, said seeing diverse representatives in government may encourage more young people to participate in politics.

“I think seeing someone representing your identity is essential to making future candidates confident because they see that it’s possible for someone like them to break barriers,” she said.

Senior and aspiring politician at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School, Alejandra, said the results of the recent elections have encouraged her to pursue a career in politics.

“I would feel more confident trying to become a politician knowing that I’d seen other women, or other folks who are queer, Latinx, black and Native American because a lot of people don’t understand the things that these marginalized groups go through,” she said.

Here are some of the individuals changing the country’s political landscape:

Ilhan Omar: one of America’s first Muslim women in Congress | Courtesy of Ilhan Omar

Kyrsten Sinema: the first openly bisexual person in the Senate and first female senator from Arizona | Courtesy of Krysten Sinema

Jared Polis: the first openly gay man elected governor | Courtesy of Jared Polis for Congress

Marsha Blackburn: Tennessee’s first female senator | Courtesy of Graeme Jennings

Deb Haaland: one of America’s first Native American women in Congress | Courtesy of Deb Haaland for Congress

Rashida Tlaib: One of America’s first Muslim women in Congress | Courtesy of Tlaib for Congress

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: America’s youngest woman elected to Congress | Courtesy of Getty Images

Sharice Davids: one of America’s first Native American women in Congress | Courtesy of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation

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