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and Gina Ortiz-Jones in Texas, who
are vocal about representing all people,
but who will provide a breadth of per-
sonal experience that differs signifi-
cantly from some of the representatives
they hope to replace. Importantly,
LGBTQ candidates are also running
in record numbers: Kyrsten Sinema of
Arizona and Sharice Davids of Kansas,
for example.
By the time this issue is in print, we
will know if primary winners have
emerged winners in the general elec-
tion but regardless, women’s success in
the primaries indicates there is openness
for new ideas and diverse perspectives
which I hope will continue. For most
feminists, the personal has long been
political: many of the women on the
ballots this year, whether they consider
“You Women are All Alike.” The Hard Times Press, Feb. 2, 1972 [BSC student newspaper],
Archives & Special Collections, Bridgewater State University. themselves feminist or not, are taking
their personal public. And while
he women’s (or feminist) movement in the “identity politics” is often publicly

United States has seen numerous iterations, denigrated, openness about one’s
personal narrative and the ways our
Tfrom early efforts to extend basic rights to personal histories intersect with social
(white) women, expanding and changing with time and economic realities may allow

to emphasize suffrage, labor and representation rights, others to find commonality. Thus the
personal can help us, but especially
contraception and abortion rights, and, more recently, our students, connect with each other,
a focus on greater inclusion, the ubiquity of sexual with new ideas, and with a sense of
their own potential, personal revela-
violence and coercion, and a renewed focus to get tions that can have long-lasting effects.
women in positions of political power.

Currently, we are witnessing unprec- Republican women are running in
edented numbers of women running all races, there is a bipartisan rise in
for political office. The Center for women’s candidacy for political office.
American Women and Politics found It is impossible to draw unyielding
that 53 women (31 Democrats and 22 conclusions about why, but the current
Republicans) filed for Senate candidacy uptick in women’s political participa-
and 22 won their primaries. Four hun- tion cannot be argued. What may be
dred seventy-six women (356 Demo- most exciting about women’s political
crats, 120 Republicans) filed to run for moves is that we are seeing newcomers
the House of Representatives and 234 unseat long-standing incumbents, such Norma Anderson is Associate Professor
have won their primaries. State and as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New in the Department of Sociology.
local races have seen similarly unparal- York City and Ayanna Pressley in
leled numbers of women running for Boston. And many of the women now
office. While more Demo cratic than
running for office are women of color,
including Rashida Tlaib in Michigan

November 2018 3