Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib are part of the Squad, which is now growing.
The 2020 Presidential elections have been keeping citizens at the edge of the seat but that is not the only election taking place right now. The Senate and House elections have been ongoing simultaneously, and both have been equally competitive.
In the House elections, the Democratic Party has a lead with 204 seats, and they need 14 more for a majority. Republican Party is lagging behind at 190 seats. In 2016, the Republican Party had 241 seats and was in majority. This year, many of the current Democrat Representatives were re-elected, including the group of four women, from minority communities, called the Squad.
The Democrat Congresswomen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 31, of New York; Ilhan Omar, 38, of Minnesota; Ayanna Pressley, 46, of Massachusetts; and Rashida Tlaib, 44, of Michigan, have won their respective seats in the US Congress. After their win was declared, Omar tweeted, "Our sisterhood is resilient."
Our sisterhood is resilient. pic.twitter.com/IfLtsvLEdx
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 4, 2020
As per the Guardian, Ocasio-Cortez added, "Serving New York-14 and fighting for working-class families in Congress has been the greatest honor, privilege, and responsibility of my life. Thank you to the Bronx and Queens for re-electing me to the House despite the millions spent against us, and trusting me to represent you once more." She was the youngest Congresswoman when she got elected at the age of 29.
Pressley said, "Together, we have fought for our shared humanity. We have organized. We have mobilized. We have legislated our values. I am so proud to be your congresswoman and your partner in the work. I believe in the power of us. And we’re just getting started." Tlaib said, "The Squad is big."
The Squad is growing!
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 4, 2020
Can’t wait to cause good trouble and make huge progress in Congress with @CoriBush, @JamaalBowmanNY, @MondaireJones, and all of our new progressive members! 💪🏽
The four women of color had raised issues like climate action, healthcare for all Americans, and other progressive causes even after being targeted with derision by President Donald Trump. The four women are no longer newcomers at Capitol Hill. They didn't face any significant challenge during their first year of re-election despite facing Trump's anger often. Of Omar and Tlaib, who were the first two Muslim women to get elected into Congress, Trump has targeted Omar and cast doubt on her citizenship by making xenophobic comments.
Dear @realDonaldTrump & enablers: Representative @Ilhan Omar is an American. If you can’t deal with that, feel free to leave our country. https://t.co/DgJG79Hx2V
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 29, 2020
Another woman of color, who is also a Black Lives Matter activist, won her first election this year. Cori Bush became Missouri's first Black congresswoman after a historic win. The Democrat contested from the 1st Congressional District, where she beat her Republican challenger, Anthony Rogers, as per USA Today. She had ousted Rep. William Lacy Clay in Missouri’s Democratic primary earlier.
Bush is a nurse, pastor, and a single mom who survived COVID19. She also lived in a car for many months and rose to fame following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, a Black 18-year-old, in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. She took a hard stance against police brutality and racial discrimination during protests following George Floyd's death. Along with Bush, Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones of New York will also head to Congress for the first time.
Other progressive representatives who have won re-election include Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin.
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