During the 2018 midterm elections, a historic number of women and candidates from underrepresented communities ran for office — and forever changed the idea of what Congress looks like. The Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, streaming now, is an intimate, and throughly inspiring, portrait of some of their campaigns.
The film follows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Amy Vilela of Nevada, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia as they mount primary challenges against some of the most powerful Democrats in the country.
Establishment politics has long rejected the idea that women like them — working class, outspoken, progressive, from underrepresented communities — are even meant to run for office. But they all did, throwing themselves into their races with the passion and determination of those committed to creating change for their communities. "It takes extra courage to run in a race where no one expects anyone to run," director Rachel Lears told Refinery29. "They had to draw on these personal experiences of loss and hardship to have the courage and the strength to do this."
By now, you probably know that only one of the four candidates was successful in her bid: AOC. But that doesn't mean their work is over. Ahead, a look at what each of the women is doing today.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The New York freshman congresswoman pulled off the most stunning primary upset of the 2018 midterm season when she defeated longtime lawmaker and fourth-ranking House Democrat Rep. Joe Crowley. At 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress and one of the most prominent political figures in the country. She currently represents New York's 14th congressional district. Her words in Knock Down the House are almost prescient: "For one of us to make it through, 100 of us have to try."
Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images.
Cori Bush
While Bush was not successful in her bid to unseat incumbent Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr., she is back in the game. The registered nurse and ordained minister announced earlier this year that she is running to represent Missouri's 1st congressional district again in the 2020 election. Bush is also the first candidate to receive support from the political action committee Brand New Congress. "After the primary last August, she took a little break to take care of herself, but her volunteers never stopped," Lears, the documentary's director, told Refinery29 of Bush's bid. "It’s going to be exciting to see what they do again."
Photo: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock.
Amy Vilela
Vilela came in third place in Nevada's crowded 4th district primary last year. Although she has not publicly said whether she'll run for elected office again, she's remained an outspoken progressive activist. Vilela is still laser-focused on issues such as healthcare, since her main motivation to run for office was the death of her 22-year-old daughter Shalynne, following a lapse in their health insurance. She also seemingly supports Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential bid.
Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP/Shutterstock.
Paula Jean Swearengin
Swearengin's opponent in the 2018 midterm election was perhaps one of the most polarizing Democratic figures: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Although she didn't defeat him in the primary, Swearengin intends to run for office again in 2020. "It’s survival for me. I love my home state. I love the people there. The people live in impoverished conditions comparable to a third-world country," she told Utah's Daily Herald earlier this year. "It can’t happen like this in America. If we want change, we have to bring it and we have to do it."
Photo: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock.
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