Elizabeth Warren suspended her presidential campaign a few weeks ago, and I found myself having to reconsider who to vote for. After coming up short in delegates on Super Tuesday, and still not recieving first place in any state, it became clear that sooner or later, she would drop. I truly felt that she was the best candidate, and would have been an incredibly qualified, successful president. 

One of the qualities I admire most about Senator Warren is her persistence. “Nevertheless, she persisted” is a modern feminist battlecry, and can be seen tatooed on people’s bodies, written across t-shirts, scribbled on protest signs, and as the title of a children’s book. But few know the story behind that statement. Ironically, this statement was made by Mitch McConell, who is not exactly a feminist icon. But he was describing Warren – and her unrelenting efforts to block the nomination of Jeff Sessions on the senate floor, reading a letter from Correta Scott King, in which she claimed he rudely intimidated Black voters. He was trying to insult her, but it is safe to say that it backfired. 

Senator Warren was involved in bankruptcy law (one of the leading professors in the country) and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, part of her consistent effort to protect consumers and the social safety net. As an economic expert, she predicted the 2008 economic recession. Especially considering the current economic situation, America needs someone with extensive knowledge and experience with the economy in office. 

I believe Elizabeth Warren should have been the Democratic Nominee, and that she should have been elected president. I believe that because of her progressive history and extensive experience, unstoppable energy and ability to connect with voters, and incredibly detailed plans for the future. However, not enough Americans shared my view for that to be a reality. 

At every campaign rally, Elizabeth Warren stayed and took selfies with every single person who wanted one. She made pinky promises to every little girl, telling them “I’m running for president, because that’s what girls do”. She read notes that people gave to her, and personally called up supporters often just to say thank you. While these things may seem trivial or small, they were a true indication of Warren as a person. She truly cared about ordinary Americans and tried to gain their support through her plans, town halls, and pinky promises – not through billionaire funded events, pac money, or Super Bowl Advertisements.

Her run was about doing the right thing from the beginning, which unfortunately contributed to its downfall. As someone who is continually offended and concerned over the lack of morality in the Trump administration, I hope to have a president who is sincere and truly cares about all Americans. 

Elizabeth Warren didn’t start out in politics. She was a teacher. And this is clear from her focus on education and her education plans. She promised to appoint a Secretary of Education who has been a public school teacher – quite a contrast from our current Betsey Devos, who has very little experience in that area. She advocated for universal child care, affordable education, and cancelling student loan debt. My grandma was a second grade teacher at Everett School, my Grandpa was a principal, my Uncle is a CPS teacher, and my mom was a religious ed teacher.

I’ve always placed a lot of importance on education and the importance of teachers in society. It is also quite evident, in my opinion, that Warren is a teacher when she speaks to voters. She has an inherent ability to explain her plans and why she thinks they would be best for the country. She has a way of simplifying complex topics, without making the listeners feel stupid. 

Warren also advocated for medicare for all, which absolutely is a lofty goal. But she had incredible plans on how to get it done. Not only did she have plans on how to make the transition, but she had plans to tackle the issue of high healthcare costs from multiple places. As a part of the transition, she would give people options: Americans over 50 can enter an “improved medicare” program, and all Americans would have the option to choose the Medicare for All program. Despite concerns over the cost, Warren promised the program would be free for all children under 18, as well as “families making at or below 200% of the federal poverty level,  about $51,000 for a family of four.

And in the case that Congress didn’t cooperate with medicare for all, she had plans on executive action to tackle the issue in different ways: She was going to fight against corruption on health insurance and drug companies, tackling the issue from the source. She also promised to fight for people with pre-existing conditions and reverse action taken by the Trump administration to sabotage healthcare for Americans. 

I believed in Medicare for All because insurance and drug companies hold too much power in society – and have too much money to allow Americans to suffer because of high healthcare costs. The prices of insulin are continually expensive, and many families either cannot afford it or have to take extra jobs to be able to afford the medicine they need to simply live. In one of the most advanced countries in the world, everyone should be able to receive medical care regardless of financial situation. 

Senator Warren is a true advocate for racial equality. I believe the criminal justice system is incredibly racially biased and corrupt. Elizabeth Warren planned to completely ban private prisons due to human rights abuses and lack of transparency to the public. They also instigate bias against poorer families, with high costs for phone calls to those incarcerated. In addition, she planned to “level the playing field” for entrepreneurs who are people of color.

She has an incredibly detailed plan to create a Small Business Equity Fund that would provide grants targeted at closing the racial gap between entrepreneurs. Furthermore, she would help unemployment by requiring states and cities working to implement the Equity Fund to work with diverse managers and she would put $7 billion towards minority and female managers. She planned to tackle the housing inequality crisis, the disparity in death rates for pregnant Black women, and target Black voter suppression. Her plan is so extensive that the summary of it requires a table of contents. Elizabeth Warren’s extensive plan for Black America demonstrated her passion for ending the years of systematic and institutionalized racism plaguing our nation.