This election year we’ll hear the usual gnashing of teeth about the lack of good candidates. But it turns out both major political parties have young moms in the pipeline that might very well become presidential candidates in the not-too-distant future.
What would that be like? A chief executive who knows from experience that discussions of family leave, paid sick time and paid maternity leave are integral to healthy families? That these ideas are central to family values. That equal pay matters not just to women but to their spouses and kids?
Political writer, Joanne Bamberger says in a recent CNN Opinion article, that 2016 may just be the year, especially if Hilary keeps her promise not to run again. Democrats have Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democratic senator from New York who is 45, firmly ensconced in her political career, and mother to two sons, ages 9 and 5. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, is the head of the Democratic National Committee.
Republicans have Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a representative from Washington. You’ve seen her face behind Speaker of the House John Boehner at all those news conferences. She has a 1½-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, and is the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress, Bamberger says. Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire are also potential candidates.
Time for a Young Mother in the White House?
