Election Day fell on November 6 this year and it was a very big day for people across the nation. Even for those who aren’t old enough to vote yet, chances are the outcomes of the election will affect their lives in one way or another. The results of the elections, whether their preferred candidate won or not, pleasantly surprised the Mercy community. This was because of the massive win of various women in many governmental offices. As an all-girl school, the Mercy community was inspired to see this moment in history.
Besides being the election with the most women appointed, there were many “firsts”, especially in Congress. The country happily witnessed the first Latino from Texas, the first Native American women for Kansas and New Mexico, the first Muslim woman, the first black woman from Massachusetts and many more all be elected to Congress. Two Native American women (Sharice Davids and Debra Haaland), a Somali refugee mother of three (Ilhan Omar), the youngest women ever elected (Abby Finkenauer and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), and many more women broke records and barriers alike when they were elected last Tuesday.
When a woman is elected into a position of power, no matter how big or small, it has a positive impact on those around her. It is inspiring for young girls to look to these positions of power and see women setting good examples and being positive role models. It shows them that they too can become anything they want. The female takeover of Congress and other positions was a major turning point for Washington. It wasn’t just that these women got elected, it was how they got elected. Many of these women, like Jacky Rosen from Nevada, beat their male incumbent opponent. They accomplished great feats and will go forth to be even more successful.
While there were some politicians who lost campaigns, no one can deny that everyone won with the success of so many women. The 2018 woman takeover of Washington is one that will go down in history because of the “firsts” it accomplished. Everyone at Mercy will be rooting for the over 100, strong, powerful women elected to the House of Representatives for this congressional session.
