Two female candidates, Misty Snow (D-UT) and Misty Plowright (D-CO), have made history this year by becoming the first transgender women from a major party vying for spots in Congress. Plowright, who is seeking election to the House, and Snow, who is running for the Senate, are both up against incumbent Republicans. Though Ballotpedia predicts that the Utah and Colorado senate races will both go to the Republicans, these women haven’t lost yet. So here’s everything you should know about the two Mistys—especially if you’re a Utah or Colorado voter.
Misty Snow (D-UT)
If elected to the US Senate; I would be the first millennial in the US Senate; I will be a voice for my generation. #Flipthesenate #UTPol pic.twitter.com/ZZlYpFK9p5
— Misty K Snow (@MistyKSnow) October 27, 2016
If elected, Snow would be the first millennial and first trans woman in the Senate. She is endorsed by political groups like “Our Revolution” and “The People for Bernie,” which is consistent with her progressive stances and policies. She’s pro-choice, supports eliminating private prisons, wants to create funding for renewable energy, aims to push for stricter gun-control laws, and is a proponent of the $15 minimum wage. As a trans woman, she wants to “fight against laws that try to restrict the rights of trans people having access to public facilities” and ensure all LGBTQ people are treated equally under the law.
Unlike her running mate, Mike Lee, Snow’s resume does not include a background in politics. She grew up in a low-income family, and before she began her campaign, Snow worked as a cashier at a grocery store. Because of this, Snow feels she can best represent the working class families of Utah and, according to her website, she is particularly concerned by the “degree of income inequality in this country: particularly how it disproportionately impacts women, people of color, and the LGBT community.”
Misty Plowright
https://t.co/USsNcC0oGV Official Campaign Announcement! Colorado CD5! #LetsMakeHistory #MoreThanVisibility #ITDoV pic.twitter.com/tKHIaMFMtX
— Misty (@MistyOnTap) March 31, 2016
Like Snow, Misty Plowright touts progressive ideas. She believes in decreasing inmate population in our prisons and ending prison privatization, eliminating systemic racism and violence, reducing tax burdens on low-income and middle-class families, and transitioning to cleaner energy.
“I am the best candidate for Colorado because I refuse to accept special interest or PAC money,” Plowright told the Daily Dot. “I want to represent everyone and look for solutions to problems where everyone’s concerns are addressed and problems get fixed. I am of, by, and for the people.”
Plowright is an Army veteran and served as an information systems operator/analyst for a year before being honorably discharged for a non-combat injury. While campaigning, she has continued to support herself and her family with her IT job. Her platform encompasses a variety of social and economic issues, and her website reminds voters that “as a transgender woman, Misty can personally relate to those who have been pushed to the fringes of society. These experiences foster the empathy that drives her political philosophy.”
Regardless of whether Snow and Plowright are elected to Congress today, they’ve already made history with their nominations and by elevating their voices to support marginalized people from various, diverse backgrounds.