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With the 2020 presidential election right around the corner and twenty three candidates in the running so far, there is a lot of debate over who is the best person to run this country for the next four years. As this nation has taken many steps backward with the Trump Administration, Democrats are fiercely competing to tip the scales in their favor. This leaves a lingering question, will the next president be a woman? Currently there are six female candidates in the running for the Democratic nomination, and motivation is riding high after the election of many female candidates in the 2018 midterms. To many women across the nation, this gives them hope that they might finally be represented in the oval office in the near future.The United States has never had a female president. This creates a divide within our nation and ultimately aids the lack of representation within American politics. But is 2020 the year for Democrats to nominate a woman? With tensions riding high, many liberals are worried that they will have to survive another four years under the Trump Administration, and are past the point of looking for a candidate that they connect to and are instead searching for one that will win. It would be incredibly difficult for a woman to beat Donald Trump, as he is not afraid to use factors such as race and gender to put down his opponents. He is already one step ahead due to the privilege that he has from being a wealthy white man. Trump also has many supporters who have stayed with him since the 2016 election, but a woman in the White House might be exactly what this country needs.
The United States has never had a female president. This creates a divide within our nation and ultimately aids the lack of representation within American politics. But is 2020 the year for Democrats to nominate a woman? With tensions riding high, many liberals are worried that they will have to survive another four years under the Trump Administration, and are past the point of looking for a candidate that they connect to and are instead searching for one that will win. It would be incredibly difficult for a woman to beat Donald Trump, as he is not afraid to use factors such as race and gender to put down his opponents. He is already one step ahead due to the privilege that he has from being a wealthy white man. Trump also has many supporters who have stayed with him since the 2016 election, but a woman in the White House might be exactly what this country needs.
Jeanne Haggard, a local women’s rights activist and a crisis line specialist in Portland, is already gearing up for the 2020 election. She “hopes with all [her] heart that a woman is elected president in 2020,” as she feels that it is way past time for this barrier between women and political achievement to be broken. Representation is important to her because women make up half the population and “the legislation passed and enacted all over this country affects [women] just as much, if not more than the male half of the population.” Haggard recognizes that it is unfair for people in our society to be expected to respect a government that they are poorly represented in. She also notes that the issue of representation is even more prevalent with women of color, stating, “we need to hear the stories of people and women of color in order to make just laws for everyone in this country. When those voices are silenced or ignored, it leads to very bad things.”
While Haggard is hopeful for a woman in the White House in the next election, she recognizes that this goal will be difficult for this country to accomplish with the current political climate. However, she has faith in the strength of all women, as they “are used to swimming against the current and figuring out how to make things work.” This is one of the reasons why it would be beneficial to elect a woman in 2020, as they are used to working twice as hard in order to accomplish anything in this patriarchal society.
Ultimately, electing a woman in 2020 will have many rewards, all women in this country will feel more represented, and our government will be more just. It is important for young women to see powerful role models in all aspects of our society, including within politics. As America continues to exclude women from the oval office, it suppresses half of our population. All people in this country deserve to have a voice.
