Sharice Davids
A barrier-breaking Congresswoman who transitioned from the MMA cage to the Capitol, becoming one of the first Native American women in Congress.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American politician and attorney·Birthday: May 22·Generation X
Biography
Sharice Davids' path to the U.S. House of Representatives was anything but conventional. A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, she worked her way through community college before earning a law degree from Cornell. Before politics, she was a professional mixed martial artist, fighting in three professional bouts—a experience that she says taught her discipline and resilience. Davids also worked on economic development in Native American communities. In 2018, she channeled that diverse background into a political upset, flipping a Republican-held district in Kansas. Her victory made her one of the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress, alongside Deb Haaland, and the first openly LGBTQ+ representative from Kansas. In Washington, she has focused on pragmatic issues like infrastructure, healthcare, and supporting small businesses, bringing a fresh, determined perspective shaped by her unique life story.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Sharice was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sharice Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Sharice's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as one of the first two Native American women to serve in the United States Congress in 2018.
- Flipped Kansas's 3rd congressional district from Republican to Democratic control in the 2018 election.
- Served on the influential House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Small Business Committee.
- Previously worked as a White House Fellow during the Obama administration.
Did You Know?
She fought as a professional mixed martial artist, with a recorded professional fight record.
She was the first in her family to graduate from college, starting at Johnson County Community College.
She is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Before law school, she worked as a bartender and a kickboxing instructor.
“Our diversity is our strength, and it's about time our representation reflects that.”
