Yesterday was a big day in the world of politics. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had exciting nights, securing even more delegates for their respective political parties. Obviously, the presidential election means a lot for collegiate women, so I’m gonna break down some of the election news for you all. I also want to focus on the local elections, because a lot of really exciting things happened in Maryland!
Hillary Clinton won four of the five states with primaries yesterday, including Maryland. The counties supporting Sanders seemed to be in the vast minority. The Democratic delegates from the state also supported Clinton. The former Secretary of State has made major gains of delegates in Pennsylvania. Overall, Clinton’s victories last night tended to follow the general demographic trends from other primaries so far—securing the black vote in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut ensured her victory in these states.
Not to ignore the Republican race, Donald Trump had a fantastic night, as was expected, although his victories percentage-wise were less than the margins he was expected. That means that voter turnouts among Republican voters were lower than expected. Trump is still leading the race, which probably led Ted Cruz to making the unexpected announcement today that Carly Fiorina would be his running mate if he nabbed the Republican nomination. Choosing a woman is probably to combat the seemingly inevitable Clinton candidacy on the Democratic side, which could theoretically swing Republican voters. It seems, however, that this call will do little to stop Trump’s current momentum.
In terms of local elections, Kristin Beck, a trans-woman running against incumbent Steny Hoyer in Maryland’s fifth congressional district in the Democratic primary, lost. Beck made major strides in progressing trans rights, especially in terms of the U.S. Military, as well as supporting many environmental issues in the state. Additionally, Beck challenged the lack of term limits in Congress and forced Hoyer to be held more accountable to his constituency.
Donna Edwards, also a Democrat, lost in her primary race against Chris Van Hollen. Both were strong progressives with a great track record who have a lot of political experience. However, as a black women running against a white man, this race held particular significance for the Democrats. Edwards discussed in her campaign that Maryland was on the verge of an all-male delegation. Diversity issues matter, especially representation of women. It is interesting to see how the “more progressive and diverse” party also seems to follow the standard order of white men in office.
It was also an exciting night for Republican women. Kathy Szilega, a stateswoman from Baltimore County, won the GOP senate nomination. While Maryland governor and fellow Republican Larry Hogan did not endorse any of the Republican candidates, a victory for a woman in any contest is still significant, and it will be interesting to see what she brings for women in her campaign’s future.