Miss North Dakota Cara Mund Named Miss America 2018

Miss North Dakota was crowned Miss America 2018 on Sunday.

MISS NORTH DAKOTA CROWNED MISS AMERICA 2018

Cara Mund beat out her 50 competitors from each state plus the District of Columbia at the weeklong event that took place in Atlantic City. The 23-year-old accepted the crown from 2017 Miss America Savvy Shields, former Miss Arkansas.

The final 15 were selected around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night, and they were from Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, D.C., Texas, New Mexico, Alabama, Missouri, Alaska, Georgia, South Carolina, New Jersey, Illinois, and of course North Dakota.

Mund is the first woman from her state to win the honor. Not only did she win favor of the audience and judges with a jazz routine to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” but she also gave some intelligent answers during her two rounds of questions.

“195 countries signed the Paris Agreement, in which each country sets non-binding goals to reduce man-made climate change. The US is withdrawing from the agreement citing negligible environmental effects and negative economic impact. Good decision, bad decision? Which is it and why?” was the question posted by judge Maria Menounos. “I do believe it’s a bad decision. Once we reject that, we take ourselves out of the negotion table, and that’s something that we really need to keep in mind. There is evidence that climate change is exisiting, so whether you believe it or not, we need to be at that table, and i think it’s just a bad decision on behalf of the United States.”

Mund is a graduate of Brown University and plans to attend Notre Dame Law School after fulfilling her pageant duties. She has always been interested in politics, and wants to become the first elected female governor of her home state. Another impressive feat, Mund founded North Dakota’s Annual Make-a-Wish Fashion Show at age 14 to help raise money for the Foundation. She raised $78,500 during her time with the program and was even recognized by President Barack Obama in 2011.

First runner up behind Mund was Miss Missouri, second runner up Miss New Jersey, third, Miss District of Columbia, and fourth, Miss Texas. Miss Texas Margana Wood made headlines over the weekend when she slammed Donald Trump in her question round. When asked about the president’s response to the Charlottesville tragedy, Wood said that she believed Trump handled the situation poorly.

“I think that the white supremacist issue, it was very obvious, that it was a terrorist attack,” she said. “And I think that President Donald Trump should’ve made a statement earlier addressing the fact, and in making sure all Americans feel safe in this country. That is the number one issue right now.”