Senator Maggie Hassan and Dr. Hiral Tipirneni: Why Go Into Politics

Resa welcomes Senator Maggie Hassan and Dr. Hiral Tipirneni for a discussion on current events and politics. Why go into politics? Why does representation in politics matter? Senator Hassan is one of only two women in American history to be elected as both a Governor and a Senator. She was the 81st Governor of New Hampshire, from 2013 to 2017. She has been active and focused during the recent period advocating on topics, such as PPE, Nursing Homes, the Opioid epidemic, Unemployment insurance Paid sick leave, and Training the returning workforce. See Senator Hassan's Press Releases. Dr. Hiral Tipirneni is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 6th Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020.  Hear more about Hiral and her path in a 2018 FemInEM podcast .

In 2020, 127 (105D, 22R) women hold seats in the United States Congress, comprising 23.7% of the 535 members; 26 women (26%) serve in the U.S. Senate, and 101 women (23.2%) serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Four women non-voting delegates (2D, 2R) also represent American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the United States House of Representatives. There are 54 African American Members of the House and3in the Senate. This House number includes
two Delegates. There are 51 Hispanic or Latino Members (a record number) serving: 46in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 5 in the Senate. There are 20 Members (14Representatives, 3Delegates, and 3Senators)who are Asian Americans, Indian Americans, or Pacific Islander Americans. This is also a record number. A record four American Indians (Native Americans) serve in the House.