DelaneyJackson

As polls closed throughout the country on Nov. 4, Americans across the nation waited for the results showing who would be leading them next. Polls in areas such as New York City, Virginia and New Jersey were capturing the attention of American citizens.

Elections of the past have led to Americans complaining that there is not enough diversity among political leaders. 

According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), only 12% of current United States governors and 25.3% of mayors are female. In 2021, 58% of state governors were white. In contrast, only 17% were Hispanic, 10% were Black and 9% were Asian, according to Zippia.

However, these statistics don’t exactly line up with the diversity of the American population. While men dominated political office, roughly 168 million women lived in the U.S., compared to about 165 million men in 2022. Within the same year, 59.2% of the population was white, 19.1% was Hispanic, 12.5% was Black and 6.1% was Asian.

Older politicians are also something many voters take issue with. Having a young leader “isn’t something we usually see in politics,” said junior Tala Alkhaleel. America tends to see older candidates having success in elections compared to their younger counterparts.

However, some of the most recent elections had a different outcome. Three unlikely candidates came out victorious, and each one beat their opponents by more than half of the population’s votes.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill was elected as the next governor of New Jersey. With 56.6% of the votes, she beat her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli. Sherrill focused on issues such as cheap and accessible transportation, climate change and general affordability across the state, making her a popular candidate.

Virginia elected Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who beat Republican Winsome Earle-Sears with 57.5% of the votes, to fill the governor’s seat. She will be the 75th governor of Virginia and the first woman to take on the role.

Marian girls can take inspiration from Sherrill and Spanberger to become important American leaders. These victories “show that women can take on big leadership roles and make a difference in the world,” Alkhaleel said.

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani was chosen as the next mayor of New York City, beating his opponents Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Andrew Cuomo with 50.4% of the votes. Running on a promise to make New York City an affordable living space, his campaign was solely funded by donations from everyday people.

Mamdani will become the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century at 34 years old. He will also be New York City’s first South Asian mayor, along with being the city’s first mayor to identify as Muslim.

Even though these elections were relatively small, they are still important for the country as a whole. “I think that these elections just show that local issues are really important, too, not just the national stuff,” Alkhaleel said. “For me it kind of makes me realize that every voice matters…and that paying attention to local results can actually make a difference in people’s lives.”

For example, Mamdani’s campaign was primarily advertised through New Yorkers canvassing and posting voting information on social media.

A sense of hope was visible among Marian girls the day after the election. Students were posting election results on their Instagram stories showing that they were paying attention to politics nationwide.

“[The results] kind of showed that people are becoming more open to new ideas and perspectives, and that gives us hope for more inclusive and meaningful change in the future,” Alkhaleel said.