The 2016 Iowa caucuses were a historic moment for diversity in politics

Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz's wins in Monday's Iowa caucuses were historic: Clinton was the first woman to ever win the Iowa caucus, and Cruz was the first Hispanic person to ever win any US presidential primary.

Notably, had Bernie Sanders beat Clinton, he would have been the first Jewish person to win a presidential primary election. And Rubio, who placed third on the Republican side, is also Hispanic.

And if the two Iowa victors — Clinton and Cruz — win their parties' nominations, the presidential election would be between two historic firsts: the first woman president or the first Hispanic president. (This would apply, too, if Rubio — now seemingly the Republican establishment candidate with the best chance of winning — gets his party's nomination.)

All of this would, of course, follow the first black president.

Would the candidates' ethnicities and genders affect their chances? Voters don't seem to think so. A Gallup poll from 2015 found that more than 90 percent of Americans would vote for a woman, Hispanic, or Jewish president. In fact, Sanders's biggest hindrance could be his political ideology — half of respondents told Gallup they wouldn't vote for a socialist.

Gallup

Whatever one thinks of the candidates, it's nice to see a bit of diversity in the field — and it's even better that voters don't seem to mind.

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