History was made at the polls in Nashville on Tuesday as Ana Escobar was elected to the general sessions court. She is the first Hispanic person to be elected judge in Nashville, and she has high expectations for her role.
"Each one of my jobs I've had, I've tried to make it better than when I came into it, so I'm excited," Escobar explained.
Escobar was happy with the campaign she ran, but she wasn't expecting to win as commandingly as she did. She gathered more than 30,000 votes, almost double of the second place finisher, making history as the first Hispanic judge elected in Nashville.
Escobar's parents moved to Nashville when she was just 6 months old and were always supportive of her dreams.
Later this year, she'll be a judge in Division 3 of Nashville's General Sessions Court, which has a special focus on domestic violence cases.
"In my job at the DA's Office, I got to speak with hundreds of victims and realized how complicated and how complex the issue is."
Escobar has gathered plenty of experience, spending 22 years as defense attorney and prosecutor, working on more than 500 domestic violence cases. She's also served on the YWCA board, and she's hoping her work as a judge will help people in a tough situation.
"I want people, whether they win or lose, to know that they were heard, and that they were treated with respect."
Escobar is also hoping to serve as a role model to her 11-year-old son who was by her side during the campaign.
"He's got a little bit of a political bug on him now!" Escobar exclaimed.
The newly elected judge is also hoping that her history-making win will help encourage others to put themselves out there.
"I'm just proud to be able to represent all the people that are here in Nashville. Immigrants and Hispanic immigrants do their jobs, do the best they can do every day, and I hope to be a role model for children who think, 'maybe I can do that some day.'"
