Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 2018
- Women are serving in larger numbers in American politics and government today than ever before.
- Here are some young rising stars in government.
Women are serving in larger numbers in American politics and government today than ever before.
A record number of women will serve in Congress next year after a surge of female candidates ran for office in this year's midterm elections. And the House's freshman class will be the most diverse in history.
But women are also making strides in local and state government — in both elected and non-elected offices.
Here are a handful of the most influential young women in American government, according to Apolitical's 100 most influential young people in government around the world.
Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist from the Bronx and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
Bronxite Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stunned the world when the political novice and Democratic Socialist defeated Rep. Joe Crowley, one of the most powerful and entrenched Democrats in Congress, in the New York primary last June.
In November, the 29-year-old Latina became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez campaigned on a deeply progressive platform that included supporting single-payer healthcare, abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and introducing a Green New Deal for the environment — while rejecting corporate donations to her grassroots-powered effort.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican and the second-youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Mike Groll/AP
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is, at 30, the second-youngest woman ever elected to Congress (after Ocasio-Cortez). During her four years in the House, Stefanik has voted to loosen gun control, repeal Obamacare, and expand federal Pell grants for low-income students. She also leads candidate recruitment for the National Republican Campaign Committee and has voiced frustration about the GOP's small — and shrinking — number of women in Congress.
"I will continue speaking out about the crisis level of GOP women in Congress & will try to lead and change that by supporting strong GOP women candidates through my leadership PAC," she tweeted this week.
After facing opposition to her efforts to diversify the Republican caucus from male colleagues, Stefanik responded that she "wasn't asking permission" to make change.
A Harvard graduate, Stefanik got her start in politics in President George W. Bush's White House and later worked for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.
Anna Valencia, Chicago's city clerk.
Matt Marton/AP
Anna Valencia was appointed Chicago's city clerk in Dec. 2016 by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The 33-year-old runs an operation that serves 1.2 million Chicagoans and works to make government services more accessible to residents, championing the city's effort to provide a municipal ID card to streamline access. She's also advocated for more gender and racial diversity in government and politics.
The first in her family to graduate from college, Valencia previously served as Emanuel's director of legislative counsel and government affairs (the second woman in Chicago's history to serve in that role) and ran US Sen. Dick Durbin's 2014 campaign.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promises to pay her interns $15 an hour or more, after slamming unpaid internships in Congress
- Meet Michael Avenatti, the high-profile lawyer and professional sports car driver who represents Stormy Daniels and has ruled out a 2020 presidential bid
- Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George H.W. Bush — who were married longer than any first couple, and still said 'I love you' every night
SEE ALSO: 7 things you might not know about the George HW Bush administration
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