New faces in Washington and in some States. The first results of the mid-term elections in the United States reveal a series of diverse and innovative profiles that will give a breath of fresh air to the political landscape. For the first time in the history of the country, the Congress will have a member of generation Z, that is, born in 1997; the state of Massachusetts will be the first to have an openly gay governor; Oklahoma will be represented by a Native American senator for the first time in nearly 100 years; and the Maryland State Government will be headed by an African American.
Generation Z arrives at the House of Representatives at the hands of Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a 25-year-old Democrat, who will be the congressman from one of the districts of Orlando (Florida). Frost has targeted his campaign at the issues his generation cares about: climate change, abortion rights and gun violence. “I come from a generation that has been exposed to shootings more than ever,” he said in an interview with New York Times in August.
Frost has been an activist since he was 15 years old, protesting for the government to increase control over gun ownership. During his campaign he had the backing of progressive Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. It is rare for a young man his age to get a seat in the House of Representatives, given that the minimum age limit to be a congressman in the US is just 25 years old. In addition, Frost will be the first Afro-Cuban to reach Congress.
In the Senate, Native American peoples will once again have a representative: Markwayne Mullin. The Oklahoma Republican is a member of the Cherokee tribe, which has not had a representative in Congress since 1925. Mullin will also be the only indigenous person in the upper house since 2005. He was born in Tulsa 44 years ago, at the age of 20. he inherited his father’s plumbing business, was elected to congress in 2012, and has since risen as a citizen politician who understands small business. Mullin is a Trump conservative who has claimed that Biden has an “extreme socialist agenda.”
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Maura Healy will be the first female governor of the State of Massachusetts and also the first to openly acknowledge that she is a lesbian. Healy, 51, has been her state attorney general and her campaign proposals have included protecting abortion rights and modernizing the education system. Healy defeated Republican Geoff Diehl, who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. “I’m proud to be who I am,” she said during the campaign on US radio about her sexual orientation.
From the Prosecutor’s Office, the Democrat confronted Exxon Mobil about its knowledge of the climate crisis and the pharmaceutical company Perdue, manufacturer of OxyContin, for its role in the opioid crisis. She also joined the complaints of immigrants against the Trump Administration for the travel ban for Muslims in 2019.
The new governor of Maryland will be Democrat Wes Moore, who will also become the first African-American in his state to hold office and the third in the entire country. Moore, 44, defeated Dan Cox, a Trump-backed ultra-conservative. Moore is an activist whose banner is the fight against child poverty. Despite having a short career in politics, Moore won the endorsement of President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Sarah Huckabee, a former spokeswoman for President Trump, is also among the candidates who managed to break some gap. In her case, Huckabee will be the first female governor of the State of Arkansas. Her father, Mike Huckabee, held that same position for a decade beginning in 1997. The former White House press officer rose to national prominence with her controversial responses to reporters at her daily news conferences.
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