7 Fictional Women You Wish You Could Ask To Run For Office

Occasionally you have to take a break from the news to watch TV and do some self care. Make the most of it!

Paula Proctor (Crazy Ex Girlfriend)

Not only is Paula a reliable and creative friend, she's a hard worker with an extensive knowledge of the law. She would be an effective leader in West Covina and beyond who would work for paid family leave, mental health services, and reproductive rights. Plus, she could sing the background music for her own campaign ads--the woman is talented.

Jane Villanueva (Jane the Virgin)

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Jane is truly an American success story. Raised by a single mom and an immigrant grandmother, she worked as a waitress to put herself through college. Now Jane is living her dreams while raising her own son and providing emotional support for her family and friends. Bonus: she wouldn't be the first elected official to keep publishing romantic novels while in office!

Rainbow Johnson (Blackish)

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We all hate the trope of “women having it all,” but Bow comes about as close as anyone could. She’s a great mom, a successful anesthesiologist, and overall a fun, intelligent, principled person who helps make Blackish such a joy to watch. With so much complicated legislation happening in the world of healthcare, we could certainly use more medical professionals in office.

Eleanor Holmes Norton (Good Girls Revolt)

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Eleanor helps a group of talented women realize their potential and leads them fearlessly into a formal complaint against a magazine that won't let them write because of their gender... all while pregnant. Good news on this one: although the show presents a fictionalized version of this story, Eleanor Holmes Norton is a real woman whose lifetime of fighting for civil rights has already inspired her to run for office (she currently serves as DC's representative in the US House). You should look her up; she's the coolest.

Kimmy Schmidt (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)

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Who doesn’t love Kimmy Schmidt? She comes out of an unimaginable trauma with a huge dose of optimism (and maybe some childlike tendencies and unresolved issues). Having experienced the benefits of therapy firsthand, Kimmy would be another strong advocate for mental health legislation and would work hard to prevent sexual assault, following in the footsteps of other elected officials like Kirsten Gillibrand.

Cat Grant (Supergirl)

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Love her or hate her, we can all agree that Cat Grant is a true mogul. She built her own media empire and basically runs National City. She may not be the hero of Supergirl, but her resourcefulness and resilience would be like superpowers in the US Senate.

Meryl Streep

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Fine, you got me. Meryl Streep is a real woman. I have no excuse for this one. But everyone should definitely tweet at Meryl Streep and get her to run for her local city council.

Unfortunately, you would have a lot of trouble asking any of these women to run for office. Here are some you should ask instead:

Your mom (or other female family member)

Isn’t your mom/sister/cousin the best? Think of the great influence she’s had on your life… and imagine how many more people she could influence from a state senate seat.

Your favorite high school teacher

This is the person who first got you to care about politics, or trigonometry, or books. Who better to fight for the next generation of students?

Your brilliant boss or coworker

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Female Senators are known for their ability to collaborate across the aisle. You know how well your favorite coworker splits up the work; chances are they can do the same with fellow legislators.

Your cool lady OB/GYN

Who cares more about women’s issues? And who knows more about healthcare? This one is a no brainer.

The leader of your favorite college club

We should all take a minute today to thank our mentors. And maybe ask if there are any open seats in their districts.

Your best friend

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Maybe you don’t want to share your person with the world. But maybe the world deserves her leadership.

There's an enormous gender gap in American government.

Women are half the US population but only 19% of Congress, putting the US ranking for women in politics far lower than any other Western democracy. Even though women and men are equally likely to win, women are much less likely to run for office at every level of government. A New York Times article from last year helps explain why:

“Women are less likely than men to be encouraged by parents, teachers or party leaders to run — yet they are also less likely to run without being prodded. They underestimate their abilities and assume they need to be much more qualified than men to run for the same office.”

It's been shown again and again that when women run and win, they govern differently and focus on issues that matter more to their female constituents. Plus, on a more basic level, why shouldn't we all have leaders that look like us and share our experiences?

That's why organizations like She Should Run encourage members to identify the inspirational women in their lives and ask them to run for office. It’s a nonpartisan issue, and an important one. Gender parity in government starts at the local level, and local government starts when passionate people make their voices heard. So get out there and ask a woman to run!