15 Conservatives That Break The Stereotype Of “Old, Rich, White Men”

We all know the stereotype. Conservatives are rich, old, white, Christian men. While those types of conservatives have certainly helped pave the way for the conservatives of today, the “type” just isn’t there anymore. We don’t have a type, liberals don’t have a type, independents don’t have a type. Yet, people still hold generalized notions about each political party.

As a conservative, being called a rich, old, white Christian man isn’t insulting, but it’s wrong. There are a multitude of middle-class, young, non-white, non-Christian men and women trying to progress our country, the right way.

This is a list of 15 powerful position-holding conservatives that break that stereotype and prove people wrong.

1. Mia Love

Mia was born Ludmya Bordeau. Currently, Mia holds a seat in United States Representative from Utah’s 4th District. She is the first Haitian-American and black female Republican in Congress. At 40 years old, she is a young politician, as well as a Mormon.

2. Carly Fiorina

Carly has never officially held a position in politics, but she did run for California Senate in 2010. Additionally, she ran for President and Vice President this year, only to have the two latter campaigns suspended. Carly has proven to be a very tough candidate, and it is a shame that she did not clinch the nomination. We all would have loved to see Hillary and Carly debate, there’s no doubt it would have been interesting.

3. Ben Carson

Ben wasn’t just a candidate for the Republican nominee for President, he’s also a retired neurosurgeon. An African American, Republican, retired doctor who is running for President is far from the stereotype, showcasing the diversity within the GOP. Carson endorsed Trump on March 11, 2016.

4. Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza was the 66th United States Secretary of State, just before Hillary Clinton. She was the first African American female to hold this position and only the second African American to do so.

5. Amata Coleman Radewagen

Amata is the Delegate for American Samoa for the United States House of Representatives. She defeated the incumbent, Democratic Eni Faleomavaega for her seat.

 

6. Jaime Herrera Beutler

Jaime is the United States Representative for Washington’s 3rd District. Not only is Jaime the first Hispanic to represent Washington, but she is among the youngest members of Congress at the age of 37.

7. Elise Stefanik

Elise is the United States Representative for New York’s 21st District. She was elected when she was just 30 years old, making her the youngest woman in history to hold a seat in Congress. She is now 32.

8. Marco Rubio

Marco is currently the 45 year old United States Senator from Florida. He is a young Hispanic man whose parents emigrated from Cuba in 1956. Rubio ran for President this year, sadly suspending his campaign in March after losing the Florida primary to Donald Trump.

9. Hiram Fong

Born Yau Leong Fong, Hiram was the first Chinese American and Asian American to be elected to the United States Senate. Hiram was the United States Senator from Hawaii from 1959 to 1977. He ran for President in 1964, becoming the first Asian American and Chinese American to run for the Republican nomination.

10. Susana Martinez

Susana is the current Governor of New Mexico. She assumed office in 2011, becoming the first Hispanic American female to hold the title of Governor, and the first female to become the Governor of New Mexico.

 

11. Joni Ernst

Joni is the current United States Senator from Iowa. She has accomplished two major firsts: Joni is the first female Iowa Senator, as well as the first female war veteran to serve in the United States Senate. She served in the army for 23 years, was a lieutenant colonel, and served in Iraq and Kuwait.

12. Nikki Haley

Nikki, born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, is the current Governor of South Carolina. Her parents are Indian Sikh immigrants. Nikki is the first female and minority Governor of South Carolina, and currently the youngest governor in the United States at age 44.

13. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ileana is the current United States Representative from Florida’s 27th District. She was the first Cuban American and Latina to serve in Congress. Furthermore, Ileana was the first Republican woman elected to Congress from the sunshine state of Florida.

14. Joseph Cao

Born Cao Quang Ánh, Joseph is the first Vietnamese American to serve in Congress as the United States Representative from Louisiana’s 2nd District in 2009. He escaped from Vietnam  with his two siblings when he was only 8 years old. They fled the country because their father was captured and forced into a Communist concentration camp. His mother stayed behind, while Joseph was raised by his uncle in Louisiana.

15. Bobby Jindal

Bobby was born Piyush Jindal to immigrant parents from Punjab, India. He was the 55th Governor of Louisiana and the first Indian American Governor in the United States.