***DISCLAIMER***
This article is moderately biased towards the democratic ideal. Nevertheless, the facts within this article are true and come from unbiased news sources. Despite your political beliefs, this article simply looks into the multiple democrats elected into Minnesota government offices. Please note, this article is not trying to pursue anyone into changing their political beliefs. The purpose of this article is to give readers a look into the influence democrats could have on Minnesota’s government – Emma Gabbert
In the 2018 midterm elections, Minnesota saw an incredible turnout of 2.6 million people. This is around 63.4 percent of Minnesota’s population – the highest voter turnout in the entire country. Of those 2.6 million votes, Minnesotans, for the most part, voted in favor of the Democrats. Democrat seats for the Office of Governor, both U.S Senate seats, Attorney General, House of Representative Districts 2, 3, 5 and many smaller offices were obtained through the 2018 Midterm elections. Since I’m from District 2, the significance of having a Democrat represent the region in Congress is a large step forward. For as long as I can remember, Minnesota Congressional District 2 representative has been John Kline. In 2016, voters elected Jason Lewis, a Conservative radio talk show host, whose views align with President Trump’s. After the 2016 election, I believe both sides of the political spectrum chose to vote for Democrats to create change within their governments. For general information, District 2 is a South suburban region that consists of middle class families including the major cities of Burnsville, Savage, Lakeville, Rosemount, Rochester and Red Wing. District 3 is a North-Western region made up mostly of upper-middle class to upper class suburbs, including the major cities of Edina, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Minnetonka and Wayzata. Since families in District 3 are, in general, more Conservative, winning these Congressional Districts is a huge plus for Democrats. District 5 contains the city of Minneapolis, which is a Democratic region, to say the least. The residents elected the first Muslim woman to the House of Representatives this year. The best part? She will be sworn into office using a Quran rather than a Bible.
The newly elected Democrats in Minnesota government offices include:
Governor: Tim Walz
Lieutenant Governor: Peggy Flanagan
U.S Senators: Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith
Attorney General: Keith Ellison
House of Representatives:
District 2: Angie Craig
District 3: Dean Phillips
District 5: Ilhan Omar
The 2018 midterm elections were one for the books. The Democrats took the House of Representatives, while the Republicans maintained control of the Senate. Six states now have two women as their senators, including Minnesota. This is a large step in the direction of equality within U.S Government. Women were only granted the right to vote in the year 1920, which means women have had the right to vote for less than 100 years. Within those hundred years, women have used their voices to vote for equality in government. Females have shown that having a uterus does not mean you are less skilled in politics, or in any way. This has been proven by many women but in particular, Nancy Pelosi, Amy Klobuchar, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and arguably the most influential supreme court justice in HERstory, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As a Minnesotan, I grew up seeing women in political offices most of my life, but women are still treated horribly. The President of the United States of America commented that Megyn Ryan had “blood was coming out of her wherever” and that men can just “grab ‘em by the pussy.” Trump referred to this language as “locker room talk”, implying that men say these things often and that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. As a woman who has experienced sexual harassment, I can tell you that these remarks are not uncommon among men. In January 2017, myself and over 60,000 other Minnesotans participated in the Women’s March in St. Paul, Minnesota. Through that experience, I saw that women are stronger together. If we want to continue to fight for women’s rights and respect, we must continue with our efforts in the 2020 Presidential election. Being a woman has gotten easier over time, thankfully. In the 1950s, it was almost certain that women would stay home and take care of the house while the husband went to work. But now, women are in the corporate workplace, and mothers in their families. What will decide our fate in 2020 are the undecided voters. As women, we cannot allow Republicans to dictate whether or not we can get affordable birth control and safe abortions. Don’t let our government decide our fate. You have the power to change the world. Vote in 2020. Your life may depend on it.
Sources:
https://www.twincities.com/2018/11/07/minnesota-voter-turnout-nears-64-percent-highest-since-2002/
https://www.twincities.com/2017/12/13/minnesota-joins-states-with-2-women-senators/