Seven Senate Races to Watch
With the election now less than 30 days away, anxieties are beginning to set in. More specifically, seven women running for Senate is something that has been on my mind. These incredibly accomplished women are just a few among many who are running for Senate seats. Several of these seats are also up to flip from Republican to Democrat.
Barbara Bollier, physician, mother, and a representative of the Kansas Senate in the 7th district is running for an open Senate seat in Kansas. Bollier went on air in 2016 to speak about getting affordable contraceptives for women who are uninsured but don’t qualify for Medicaid. Similarly, she has been voting to mandate health care coverage since her first year in office. Bollier’s attitude is grounded not only in science, but human rights. Her campaign cites her as a “voice of reason.” Bollier believes in doing the right thing and caring for all people in our society with dignity and respect. If elected to the U.S. Senate, Bollier will be the first woman doctor ever elected, in which there are 53 male doctors in the Senate.
Sara Gideon represents District 48 in the Maine House of Representatives and is currently running against Susan Collins. A descendent of an Indian immigrant father and a second-generation Armenian mother, Gideon was born in Rhode Island. She helped pass a law in Maine that ensures insurance companies will never be able to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and cracking down on pharmaceutical companies to increase drug pricing transparency and help control the cost of prescription drugs. Her senate campaign has focused on “putting Maine first”
Theresea Greenfield is an American businesswoman and politician who was born to farmer parents in Minnesota. Greenfield is an advocate of unions and believes we should be working to strengthen their standing in our communities. Greenfield is a military mother and wants to ensure that when soldiers return home they have access to the best and most efficient health care, as well as access to civilian jobs.
M.J. Hegar is a United States Air Force veteran, teacher, and wrote a memoir titled, “Shoot Like a Girl.” She sued the U.S. Air Force to remove the Combat Exclusion Policy. Hegar believes in a women’s right to choose, while also citing the need for cost-effective childcare, access to sex education, and affordable over-the-counter contraceptives. Hegar cites on her campaign website, that one of the top reasons she decided to run for Senate was climate change. Hegar supports laws that ban conversion therapy, as well as legislation that extends and secures civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Americans.
Paulette Jordan served in the Idaho House of Representatives as a member of the Idaho Democratic Party from 2014 until 2018. Jordan is a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. She grew up on a north Idaho farm and has learned about the importance of natural resources and land preservation. Jordan worked as both the Finance Chair and Secretary of the Executive Board of the National Indian Gaming Association. She was the first Native American woman nominated for Governor in U.S. history and more Idahoans voted for Jordan in 2018 than they had for any Democratic gubernatorial or congressional candidate in Idaho history.
Jeanne Shaheen was the Governor of New Hampshire from 1997 to 2003. She’s the descendant of the prominent Native American Pocahontas. Shaheen was the first woman elected as both a governor and a U.S. senator in American history. She is known for making higher education more affordable during her time as governor, as well as keeping New Hampshire’s tax burden the lowest in the country. She is a huge pro-choice advocate and repealed a law making abortion a felony.
Tina Smith has been serving Minnesota as a Senator since January 2018. She has introduced and written legislation taking on pharmaceutical companies and works across the aisle to expand career and skills training. Smith sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee and worked to pass and sign into law the Farm Bill. She is the only U.S. Senator to have worked for Planned Parenthood. Smith believes in supporting Tribal communities and introduced a bipartisan bill that helps tribal organizations provide more options for health services.