Former Miss America runs for US House seat 'I didn't think anyone else would step up'

In 2018, Cara Mund was the first Miss North Dakota to be named Miss America. Today, she’s gearing up to compete in a whole new arena — politics.In August, Mund announced that she’s running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mund says the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe. v. Wade inspired her decision. “I grew up knowing my rights as a woman, and now to potentially raise a young daughter in the future, knowing that her rights are gonna be less than the rights that I have, I’m concerned,” Mund tells Yahoo Life. “We need more women at that table.”Frustrated with the two-party system, the former Republican congressional intern secured more than 1,000 signatures to get her name on the November ballot as an independent. After she announced her candidacy, Democratic candidate Mark Haugen was pressured to drop out of the race, which left a clear path for Mund to take on the Republican incumbent, Kelly Armstrong. While North Dakotans typically vote Republican, Mund believes that many in her state are seeking common ground and other alternatives. She wants to be a voice for those who may feel unacknowledged by the major parties.