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Record Numbers of Women & People of Color Running for Office in Los Angeles

In response to a special elections race in Los Angeles, women and people of color are running for political office in record numbers, signifying a potential precedent for diverse candidate pools ahead of 2018 elections.

The race to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives for California’s 34th congressional district is shaping up to be Trump’s worst nightmare. Of the 23 total candidates running, more than half of them identify as women, and at least 18 of the candidates are people of color. And if Democrat candidate, Wendy Carrillo, won, she would be the first formerly undocumented woman in Congress.

California is not the only state seeing this new shift: a young Black man is running for mayor in Tallahassee; a Muslim man has made his bid for Governor of Michigan; and a Black trans woman and activist is running for Minneapolis City Council.

According to data released in 2014 by Reflective Democracy Campaign, White men comprise 31% of the population, however they hold 65% of elected offices in the United States. Research also reveals that White men hold eight times as much political power compared to women of color, indicating that more diverse politicians is good not only for the optics of representation, but can have a major impact on the political landscapes for marginalized communities. With more women and people of color in office, we could see more legislation like this abortion pill accessibility bill introduced by Sen. Connie Leyva in California, and hopefully less bills like this transphobic bathroom legislation introduced by Rep. Carl Glimm in Montana. 

Watch this video from Fusion about the LA race and its candidates:

Header via Fusion.

Quita Tinsley is a fat, Black, queer femme that writes, organizes, and overall is working to build sustainable change in the South. She holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in Sociology from Georgia State University, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from her alma mater. She is a member on the board of directors of Access Reproductive Care – Southeast, and is a former content creator for the The Body Is Not An Apology. As a femme, feminist, and queer Black woman, it is through her lived experiences and complex identities that Quita has come to believe in the power of storytelling and the validation of lived experiences.

Quita Tinsley is a fat, Black, queer femme that writes, organizes, and overall is working to build sustainable change in the South.

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