In a recent campaign ad, the only female Maryland governor candidate Krish Vignarajah breastfeeds on camera while discussing women in politics.
Maryland governor candidate Krish Vignarajah released a campaign ad on Wednesday which focused on the lack of female politicians in Maryland. Vignarajah breastfeeds her nine-month old daughter as she tells the camera that there are no women in statewide or federal office in Maryland. That's right: none! What's more surprising, Maryland has never had a female governor. Vignarajah hopes to soon change that, and isn't afraid to show off her womanhood. Vignarajah states in the ad, "This isn't just about representation. It's about policy. States with women in government have better schools, better healthcare, lower incarceration rates."
Vignarajah graduated from Yale Law School and worked as the former policy director for Michelle Obama and senior advisor at the State Department to Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. She immigrated to Maryland with her family when she was nine-months old, and they only had $200 to their name at the time.
The race to replace Governor Larry Hogan is crowded. Vignarajah is running against eight male candidates, including Governor Larry Hogan, former President and CEO of the NAACP Ben Jealous, and State Senator Richard Madaleno.
Her ad comes out at a time when many people are embracing breastfeeding and are calling for more support for it. Advocates see breastfeeding as a natural part of motherhood and one women should not be embarrassed about.
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Courtesy of Krish for Maryland[/caption]
Vignarajah said that the campaign deliberately scripted the scene of her breastfeeding her daughter ahead of time. According to her campaign website, "Vignarajah’s ad calls attention to the fact that there are no women serving in statewide or federal office in Maryland, makes the case the states led by women have better policy outcomes, and authentically shows her as a woman who is both a leader, a professional, and a mom, reading to, playing with, and breastfeeding her 9-month-old daughter, Alana."
The Maryland Governor candidate is not the first politician to publicly breastfeed. In early March, Wisconsin Governor candidate Kelda Roys also breastfed in a campaign ad and last year a video of Australian Senator Larissa Waters went viral after she breastfed during a parliamentary vote.
The campaign ad ends by stating, "Some say no man can beat Larry Hogan. Well I'm no man. I'm a mom, I'm a woman and I want to be your next Governor."
What do you think? Do you like the campaign ad? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and let's get the conversation started.
