If you know only one thing about Rep. Sharice Davids, it might be that she was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Or perhaps that she’s one of the few open lesbians in the House, or something about her brief career as a professional mixed martial arts fighter before politics — another first.
But Davids says she doesn’t think about any of that on most days, when she’s more focused on the issues in front of her. For the self-described “infrastructure nerd” who sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, that means more time thinking about rail hubs than representational honors.
Davids has also been a role model for swing-district Democrats, improving on her margin of victory in 2022 despite redrawn maps in Kansas that made her district more Republican-leaning. On that, she says the lesson is straightforward: Meet with voters, no matter what. “It’s kind of like MMA,” she said. “You just got to show up every day, even if you’re gonna get punched in the face.”
