By Annalisa Myer

“2018 is a year of firsts. We know representation is important, so having more women, especially women of color, in office during this election cycle is awesome! We also had a lot of openly queer individuals running and winning! And for those watching, it makes the idea of running for office that more attainable. Although there were many losses, i.e. Texas race with Ted Cruz, there were many victories. And we must acknowledge the hard work across the board.”

By David Clark

“It is extremely exciting to see so much expanded representation for black, indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ women who ran as candidates during this cycle, as well as a congress that is on average, younger. In addition, the flipping of the state senate to Democrats, along with the win of working class Latina candidate Monica Martinez within Suffolk County, is exciting because it opens the door to the passing of progressive legislation such as the Reproductive Health Act, the NY Dream Act, the Child Victims Act, rent control and expanding access to the ballot through automatic voter registration.”