Tammy Duckworth Wishes She Wasn’t Always the First
The senator (and very new mom) talks paid leave, mortal combat, and the men who’ve underestimated her
As told to Mattie Kahn
The statistics aren’t good. According to recent estimates, women make up just under 20 percent of Congress and less than 25 percent of all state legislatures. Only six of our nation’s governors are women. But we are 51 percent of the population. And the research shows that when women participate in government, we make it run better, more collaboratively. Historically, women have needed to be convinced to enter politics. But within weeks of the 2016 presidential election, thousands of women announced they plan to run. And we want them to win. So we’re giving them a weekly example of a woman who has run and won. The point: You can, too.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth represents Illinois in the United States Senate, an office she’s held since 2017. She served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, was appointed to lead the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs, and served in the National Guard. There, she trained to pilot helicopters, one of the few combat jobs open to women, and in 2004, she was deployed to Iraq. A few months later, Iraqi insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at her helicopter. Her…
