Ashley Bennett had never run for office before. But when a local politician made a sexist joke, she decided to try to unseat him.
Ashley Bennett was offended by a politician’s sexist joke. So she ran for his seat — and won.
“People want change,” said the newly elected Bennett, who had never run for office before.
Anna North is a senior correspondent for Vox, where she covers American family life, work, and education. Previously, she was an editor and writer at the New York Times. She is also the author of four novels, including the forthcoming Bog Queen, which you can preorder here.
John Carman, a Republican member of the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, a county legislative body in New Jersey, posted a meme on his Facebook page in January making fun of the Women’s March. “Will the woman’s protest be over in time for them to cook dinner?” it read, according to Amy S. Rosenberg at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dozens of women showed up at a January freeholder meeting to confront Carman. One brought a box of macaroni and cheese and told Carman to “cook his own damn dinner,” Rosenberg reports. Carman refused to apologize, saying, “the women I’m surrounded by, my family, my friends, my colleagues are all strong, confident women, women who are sure of themselves. They didn’t get offended by this.”
Bennett, a psychiatric emergency screener, attended the meeting but walked out when she heard Carman’s response. “I walked out because you had the entire time to sit and collect your thoughts, and hear what people were saying, and instead of apologizing and saying you could do better, you disrespect people and say the people you surround yourself are strong,” she said at the time. “There are a lot of people who are strong.”
And Bennett, a Democrat, decided to take action. She ran for Carman’s seat on the board, becoming part of a wave of women running for office following the 2016 election. On Tuesday, she defeated Carman, who had also angered constituents when he was photographed wearing a patch depicting the state of New Jersey partially covered by a confederate flag.
Bennett’s win was one of many victories for female candidates on Tuesday. A record number of women were elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, including the first Latina women, first Asian-American woman, and first trans woman to serve in that state legislative body, according to EMILY’s List.
“People want change,” Bennett told Rosenberg. “I am beyond speechless and incredibly grateful to serve my community. I never imaged I would run for office.”
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