In an election year that has seen an unprecedented number of women running for office, Carlsbad is no exception. There are actually more women on the ballot than men this November by a wide margin: 11 to 3. And the candidates are running for everything from city council to the school district to mayor.
“When something happens that galvanizes the community, you often see an appetite for change,” political analyst Laura Fink tells NBC 7. “You layer in the fact that this is a change election year and the number of female candidates we see running nationwide and locally and Carlsbad is a microcosm of that.”
Fink says while national politics plays a role in current elections, they're not necessarily motivators for people to get involved. She says candidates will run for a wide array of reasons – and come from a range of political ideologies – but they run when they see opportunity.
“In Carlsbad, we do see everyone from an avowed Trump Republican to former Bernie supporters and progressives running – and a lot of times on similar platforms. So the local races are distinct to national politics, but they're not immune to them,” she explains.
And, although more women running for office is an encouraging sign, the fact that it makes news proves that it’s still not the norm.
“We will stop talking about women running for elected office as an anomaly when women reach parity,” Fink adds.
Now, it’ll be up to Carlsbad voters to see who they elect in November.
