Politics

A historic number of women were sworn in to the 116th Congress this month. Of the record 127 women serving in Congress – 106 Democrats and 21 Republicans – there are many historic firsts among this diverse group of women, including a record number of women from different backgrounds, ideologies, religions and races.

The 116th Congress is setting records. I’m fortunate enough to serve with 109 other women for the next two years and with two female Senators from my home state of Arizona – both historic records.

I was one of 21 women in the House (97th Congress) – so few confronting so many critical women’s priorities. As women have reached critical mass, it is vital to build relationships, support each other and promote issues essential to women’s equality.

As secretary for Health and Human Services, I learned that Americans ultimately want to know that their government is working for them and in their best interest.

In Congress, my focus will be on carrying the voices of and providing excellent service to my constituents, building an economy that delivers for working- and middle-class families, reining in prescription drug costs and ensuring that health care is regarded as a right rather than a privilege, and shaping a more just, equal future for all our daughters and sons.

I approached my first term in Congress with the mindset that you only have one opportunity to make a good first impression with your colleagues.

My job as a naval commander was creating an environment for people to succeed and perform the mission at hand.

As the executive director of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), the largest provider of homelessness services in the State of California, I spent my career working with health care providers, law enforcement, and employers to oversee hundreds of government contracts, manage a $50 million budget, and move thousands of families and veterans off the street and into permanent homes.

I was fortunate to have been elected to the 116th Congress as part of a historically diverse freshman class. We are the first class ever to take our oath of office during a government shutdown.

My military journey started when I was born into it as the daughter and granddaughter of career naval officers.

Many Americans feel they are outsiders to the political process and voiceless in a government brilliantly designed to be of, by and for the people. I want to see this new Congress change that.

I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a business owner and a bison farmer. My gender does not define who I am, but it does add value and perspective to the decisions I make.

America faces hard problems, and the only way to solve them is by making sure that everyone’s perspective is heard. That is part of what motivated me to run for Congress; at the time, my state had 18 seats in the House – and no women.

Criminal justice reform is long overdue to protect all Americans and ensure that our criminal justice system is fair.

On Election Day, Americans in red and blue states voted for criminal justice reform, including overturning long-standing Jim Crow-era laws.

In the 2018 midterms, voters across America decided on several measures that shape how millions of Americans interact with the criminal justice system.

The First Step Act is good common sense conservative criminal justice reform. It is similar to reforms implemented in tough conservative states. It will make communities safer and families stronger.

In the wake of the 2018 midterms, one clear winner was criminal justice reform. Several state ballot measures reforming the criminal justice system passed decisively.

PDS is a Public-Benefit Corporation and a certified B-Corporation located in NYC, whose mission is to make correctional institutions safer, more cost-efficient and more effective at improving lives of the incarcerated.

Today, the U.S. holds more prisoners than any other country. The largest increase came from nonviolent drug offenders, largely due to inflexible mandatory minimum sentences.

Roughly 95% of currently incarcerated individuals will eventually be released, yet recidivism rates are frighteningly high (nearly 50% for federal offenders, higher for state offenders). The status quo – warehousing offenders for as long as possible, then hoping for the best once they’re out – clearly isn’t working.

The vast majority – 95% – of people currently in state prisons across the United States will return to their communities one day. When they do, too many struggle.

Growing up, I worked as a prison guard in Worcester, Massachusetts, where I saw a lot of the same guys I knew from school. It was one of those moments that still makes me think, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

When people speak about bipartisanship in Washington, it is not always a good thing. Bipartisanship often leads to higher spending and diminished civil liberties. But in the case of the criminal justice reform, bipartisanship is critical to ensuring our justice system is fair for all Americans.

How many federal crimes are on the books? The Department of Justice tried to count the total number back in 1982 but gave up.

The 2018 midterm elections are just one week away. They have been the talk of the town for months, and neither party is in a position to let their guard down.

Polling in 50+ battleground districts found that Democrats have largely erased the turnout deficit of the Obama years, with the possibility of higher turnout than Republicans – including many relatively white, suburban districts – and taking the House.

Starting with the 1992 presidential election, political alignments shifted enough to create a “blue wall” due to increasing Democratic voting strength in affluent suburbs in larger metropolitan areas in the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, New England and Chicago/Detroit in the Midwest.

Markets have been up for the 12-month period following every correction in midterm election years since 1950. That’s because markets like certainty, independent of party.

When asked, most Americans will say they vote for the most qualified person, and many hope our elected officials can move our nation forward through bipartisan compromise. After polling Americans in nearly 60 competitive congressional districts, we find rates of partisanship that surpass even our new word – tribalism.