Election Updates: New York Times Questionnaire
By Natalie Wexler
As we inch closer and closer to Election Day, candidates have been working as hard as ever to share their platforms with their followers in an attempt to secure their vote and hopefully win the votes of those who are on the fence. Out of a total of 23 candidates, 3 Republicans and 20 Democrats, 5 of these candidates are women.
All 5 of the female candidates are Democrat and 3 of them are current US State Senators: Kamala Harris (California), Amy Kloubachar (Minnesota) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts); while Tulsi Gabbard is a congresswoman from Hawaii and Marianne Williamson is an author.
Back in June, The New York Times reached out to the 22 Democratic candidates that were in the race at the time (some candidates that were interviewed have since dropped out including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand) and asked the 21 candidates that responded (everyone but Joe Biden) the same 18 questions about their stances on pertinent issues such as gun control, climate change, immigration, foreign policy, big business, and the death penalty.
New York Governor Cuomo Signed Equal Pay Law Before USWNT Champion Parade
By Chloe Cornell
Right before the USWNT began their World Cup Champion Parade in New York City, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law preventing gender pay discrimination. “It’s not just the right thing to do,” Cuomo said. “It’s not just the moral thing to do, it is also the law in the State of New York.”
Parade revelers chanted “equal pay” just as stadiums of fans did throughout the World Cup competition. In response to chants at the City Hall ceremony, US Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro said that the female athletes “deserve fair and equitable pay.” He continued, “We hear you, we believe in you, and we’re committed to doing right by you.”
The U.S. Women’s National Team filed the gender discrimination lawsuit under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, stating, “Despite the fact that these female and male players are called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams and participate in international competitions for their single common employer, the USSF, the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts. This is true even though their performance has been superior to that of the male players — with the female players, in contrast to male players, becoming world champions.” The legal battle is currently in mediation, and the team is hoping for wages and back pay, better training and travel conditions, and increased promotion.
Many people are rooting for the women’s soccer team including members of Congress, with Rep. Doris Matsui (CA) and Rep. Rose DeLauro (CT) introducing the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act which would block federal funding for the 2026 Men’s World Cup until the U.S. Soccer Federation pays the USWNT “fair and equitable wages.”
“The U.S. women’s soccer team brought the whole world, the whole country, together,” Matsui told CNBC. “These women demonstrate what’s best in our country, and I just really feel that they need to be recognized in the appropriate way – and they out to be paid equally, too.” Others also hope that this battle will transcend women’s soccer and affect change for all women’s sports and industries.
