For the first time in herstory there are 6 women running for President, and at least one more may soon join them. You’d think the media would be abuzz with estrogen-enhanced excitement, but noooooooo! Instead we mostly see headlines like:
– Beto Jumps Up on Wobbly Table to Deliver a Speech!
– Pete Buttigieg Gives Piano Concert While Reading a Poem in French!
– Joe Biden Just Loves People Too Much!
– Bernie’s Hair is Still Crazy, But Everyone Still Wants Medicare!
What does a female leader have to do to get attention? Date Sasquatch? Change her hairstyle? Have a last name that’s harder to pronounce than Buttigieg? Klobuchar and Gillibrand are tongue-twisters in their own right!
It’s hard to not see gender bias when the men get all the headlines.
While I’m not suggesting we should vote for political candidates simply based on their gender, I think we can all agree that it’s hard to vote for someone you know nothing about. In order to fix that problem, I’ve developed this quiz to test what you know about the gaggle of women who are campaigning to become President of the United States in 2020 –
- Amy Klobuchar
- Elizabeth Warren
- Kamala Harris
- Kirsten Gillibrand
- Tulsi Gabbard
- Marianne Williamson
QUESTION 1: Match the derogatory comment that most hounds each candidate:
A. She’s too mean to her staff
B. She’s boring
C. She’s too smart and people don’t relate to her
D. She’s made anti-gay remarks in the past
E. Her record on criminal justice is overly harsh
F. She’s not seriously running
ANSWER: A = Amy B = Kirsten C = Elizabeth D = Tulsi E = Kamala F = Marianne
QUESTION 2: Her Golden Retriever, Bailey, is campaigning with her as she proposes progressive policies such as an “ultra-millionaire tax” on people worth more than $50 million.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is B. You can follow Elizabeth Warren’s pup on Bailey Cam which shows the campaign trail through the eyes of a dog.
QUESTION 3: During his confirmation hearing, she asked Brett Kavanaugh whether he had ever blacked out while drinking. Kavanaugh got hysterical (as so many male politicians do these days) and screamed at her, “No, have you?!”
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is A. Amy Klobuchar won a lot of fans during the Kavanaugh hearings due to her pointed questioning. The daughter of an alcoholic father, she used her personal history to bring up her concerns around the then-nominee’s history of drinking problems and sexual assault.
QUESTION 4: She is the only candidate embracing gender as her primary issue. “I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own,” she said on the Colbert show.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is D.
QUESTION 5: She is the author of Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer and The Truths We Hold: An American Journey.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is C. Before becoming a Senator from California, Kamala Harris was the state’s Attorney General. She has won many legal awards and was also chosen among Ebony Magazine’s Top 100 Influential Black Americans.
QUESTION 6: When she first ran for Senate, no one would take her calls, so she raised $17,000 from ex-boyfriends.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is A. That is one ballsy, I mean ovary-sy move! Maybe I should gather up my exes to donate to help pay my medical bills.
QUESTION 7: This candidate is multilingual, speaking English and Mandarin. She also held the first Senate hearing on the issue of sexual assault in the military in almost a decade.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is D. Kirsten Gillibrand. Her work on eliminating sexual harassment in the military has been one of the hallmarks of her career as a Senator.
QUESTION 8: She developed a program to teach elementary school kids about the importance of protecting land and water resources.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is E. Tulsi Gabbard, who is an avid surfer, has been an environmentalist from a very young age. She also co-founded Healthy Hawaii Coalition.
QUESTION 9: She earned a debate scholarship, but dropped out to get married to her high school sweetheart at 19.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
ANSWER: The correct answer is B. Elizabeth is a woman with it all – a long-term relationship, a powerful career, and she can out-argue most men…not to mention, she has a puppy!
QUESTION 10: There is one non-politician who has officially declared that she is running. Who is she?
A. Queen of media, Oprah Winfrey
B. 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the state of Georgia, Stacey Abrams
C. Inspirational author, Marianne Williamson
D. Political activist and actor, Alyssa Milano
E. Musician, Cardi B
ANSWER: The correct answer is C. Marianne Williamson is focused not only on political and economic issues, but the “emotional civil war” she believes is tearing the U.S. apart. Stacey Abrams is considered by many as a possible candidate, but she has not yet declared her intention to run.
BONUS QUESTION: She is known for her designer outfits.
A. Amy
B. Elizabeth
C. Kamala
D. Kirsten
E. Tulsi
F. Marianne
G. It doesn’t freaking matter!
ANSWER: Of course, the answer is G. Unless we’re asking Bernie Sanders why his suits are wrinkled or Beto O’Rourke if he owns a jacket, let’s leave the fashion focus to the fine folks at Project Runway.
Now that you know a little more about the women running, you can make more informed decisions with your support, your money, and your vote. They may not be jumping on tables (harder to do in heels) or reliving their days with their own punk band, but there’s a lot of depth, intellect, and compassion in the female candidates running for President.
For more details, go to their campaign sites:
- Amy Klobuchar https://amyklobuchar.com/
- Elizabeth Warren https://elizabethwarren.com/
- Kamala Harris https://kamalaharris.org/
- Kirsten Gillibrand https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/
- Marianne Williamson https://www.marianne2020.com
- Tulsi Gabbard https://www.tulsi2020.com/about
Photo Credit: Marie Claire
