[Best of 21 JSR] More Females Dominating Politics in 2020

This article was originally published on February 11, 2019

The presidential election of 2020 is less than two years away and members of the Democratic Party have already announced their candidacy. After President Trump won the presidential election in November 2016, many members of the Democratic Party have vowed to defeat him in the 2020 presidential election. Some of the Democrats who announced their candidacy include Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Senator Kamala Harris of California. 

On December 31st, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announced that she has launched an exploratory committee for the presidential election of 2020. Many were not surprised by her announcement because she was one of the high profile Democrats who was expected to run for election. The focus on her campaign is on economic fairness and the middle class as she firmly believes that “the middle class is under attack.” She wants people to join her in fighting against political corruption and says in her exploratory launch video that the government is not working for the people and is instead working for wealthy corporations. Near the end of the video she says, “If we organize together, if we fight together, if we persist together, we can win.”

 

On January 15, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announced on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that she has launched an exploratory committee to run for president in 2020. In the past, she has pushed for legislation on equal pay, sexual assault on college campuses and the military, and women’s rights. She also celebrated the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Act which previously did not allow people of the LGBTQ community to serve in the military. She believes that health care should be a right and not a privilege and that the nation should have better public schools for children. She has also announced that she is not accepting corporate PAC (political action committees) money for her campaign and pushing for transparency in the government.

 

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Senator Kamala Harris announced that she is running for president in 2020. Born to Indian and Jamaican immigrant parents and raised in Oakland, California, Harris said that her mother always taught her that she had a responsibility to become a part of the fight for justice. She believes in fixing the criminal justice system, defending the rights of immigrants and Dreamers, the right to marry whoever you love and that no American should work two jobs to pay their bills. She said that she is running to be president “of the people, by the people, and for all people.” She also believes that “healthcare is a fundamental right” and that it can be delivered through “Medicare for all.” She strongly cares about protecting the democracy of America and defending the American values of the people. 

Emory University student Justin Kim has said, “I think that the pool of Democrats who announced their candidacy for 2020 represent a diverse group. You can see more women deciding to run for the office of President, and the increase in the number of female candidates seems to reflect an overall growing desire for more female representation in politics.” He added, “The diverse group of candidates is furthermore not a surprise as the recent Democratic House of Representatives reflects the growing diversity of the Democratic Party.” 

 

As the months progress, we could expect to see more Democrats announcing their candidacy for the presidential election of 2020.

 

Jennie Kim, Grade 12

Immaculate Heart High School