and learned how to use her differentness as a tool for progress. People often try to “overlook” her race as a factor in the race in order to make themselves more comfortable, she says. But Davis prefers to talk about it openly. Avoiding the topic, she believes, means avoiding discussion of important ideas that she wants to bring into the light.

The 8th District, which covers part of Omaha, is currently served by Sen. Burke Harr, who is ineligible for re-election due to term limits. It is comprised mostly of working-class, low-income people and families — people who Davis says don’t have the time or resources to represent themselves and their interests in the state and national government. She aims to be their voice.

On Christmas Day, Davis’ office receivedremembers helping her mother study for the citizenship test — an experience that impressed upon her the value of being a citizen of this country and planted a desire serve.

Related: VoteRunLead Wants Women in Power, Regardless of Party

This is the recent college graduate’s first run for office. She credits the 2008 Nebraska Democratic caucus between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, which she attended with her father, as the event that inspired her political career. She worked on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 and became a fellow for him that year. In 2016, she became a Bernie Sanders delegate and traveled to Philadelphia with the Nebraska delegation to the Democratic National Convention. She received candidate training from the nonpartisan group, VoteRunLead.

Davis was an active member of her