On Oct. 29, Her Campus Media hosted a virtual press conference with Sen. Gillibrand.
Hundreds of student journalists attended and asked the senator questions ranging from the upcoming election to women’s empowerment.
During one of the most intense elections in American history, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, offered encouraging words to college women across the country.
Paid for by the “Biden for President” campaign, Gillibrand took the time to express the importance of voting in the upcoming presidential election, especially for young women.
“I don’t think I have to tell anyone on this call that it’s probably the most important election of your lifetime, and the issues that are on the ballot — our access to healthcare, access to jobs and having an economy that grows and works for everyone,” Gillibrand said. “I hope everyone has a plan to vote and that you understand that this is a part of our democracy, and if young college age women don’t vote then those who get elected will not actually represent our values.”
Divisive issues run the ballot this year including the COVID-19 pandemic response, climate change, health care and institutional racism. While Gillibrand ran for the Democratic presidential nomination this year on a platform that addressed a family bill of rights, Medicare for all and other progressive ideas, she believes that Biden will incorporate these topics into his potential presidency.
“Joe has added a lot of the platform into his own platform and shows his wisdom,” Gillibrand said. “It also shows that this is a team, that we are all working towards a greater good and we are all working with each other.”
Aside from the election, Gillibrand also gave inspiration to young women planning to run for office in the future. A member of Congress since 2006, Gillibrand ran what she calls a “progressive campaign in a republican district” through an entirely grassroot movement and later was appointed to the senate. She encouraged future female leaders to follow their dreams no matter how hard a race is and to never be afraid to ask for help. She also discussed the challenges of working in a male dominated field.
“I think women have so much to add whether it’s in public service and government and in business and that we should value ourselves and value what we have to offer, and if we value ourselves eventually others will value us too. But what it means is we just have to constantly push back on misogyny, on sexism, on gender bias in the workplace and in all settings,” Gillibrand said.
Senator Gillibrand further expressed the importance of being true to yourself, sticking to your beliefs, and not selling yourself short. She believes that it is important to not let those who disagree with her drag her down in order to be successful in office.
Gillibrand also does not think it is necessary to start one’s political career at the local level.
“It’s whatever you want to do, it shouldn’t determine your race. President Trump never ran for anything and he ran for president,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand emphasized the importance of emerging female journalists, which gave some inspiration to the crowd.
“70 percent of reporters are white, male reporters in politics. Well, what do you think they report on? They tend to focus on things they like and things that remind them of themselves,” Gillibrand said.“It doesn’t allow for much story development about women candidates and fair reporting about issues that women are pushing forward because they might be less interesting to white male reporters. So again, women just have to keep pushing down barriers in all industries so we can level the playing field.”
With election day on Nov. 3 approaching faster than ever, it is important to make your plan to vote today. You can start by going to iwillvote.com to see your options and find out if you are registered to vote.