Who plunged "into national debates over personal and political events in unprecedented ways"?​

Betty Ford.

Explanation:

Betty Ford was the wife of Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States of America. She would become one of the most talked-about First Lady in the history of the Presidents of the United States.

While most First Ladies were often unseen and unspoken, Betty Ford would become the 'catalyst' that began an immense interest in the First Lady. Her cancer diagnosis resulted in many women across the country getting themselves checked led to her increased presence in the media. Moreover, she would get involved in many political as well as educational debates, at times delving into the personal space too.

Though her husband's presidency was not a result of an election but rather the resignation of the current President Richard Nixon, Betty Ford would become known as the woman who "would plunge into national debates over personal and political events in unprecedented ways."