Democratic women surge past 100 House seats as Republican women lose ground
Women will lead more states as governors and represent more congressional districts than at any time in American history come January.
The blue wave putting Democrats back in control of Congress is also creating a House Democratic caucus that looks much more like the nation, in terms of gender, than ever before. Democratic women’s gains also widen a significant gap between the number of Democratic women and Republican women in power.
For the first time, next year, more than 100 Democratic women will serve in the U.S. House, according to Associated Press race calls and a tally by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
With dozens of races still uncalled Wednesday morning, Democratic women had already locked up at least 102 seats. And Democratic women were leading in more than a dozen other races.
“That kind of representation, seeing us move over that 100-woman mark — it matters,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts) said, speaking at a coffeehouse in Kissimmee, Florida, days before the election. “I think that’s important for people to be able to look at Congress and see themselves reflected back.”
Democratic women had also won more than six times as many seats as Republican women, who had claimed 16. Four more Republican women were ahead in races not yet decided. If those leads hold, Republican women’s presence in the House would shrink from 30 seats to 20.
If the current leads hold, women would make up about 30 percent of the House, though the chamber would still fall short of fully reflecting a country that is about 51 percent female.
Fifteen women won governor’s races Tuesday, and a 16th, Democrat Cindy Holscher in Kansas, was narrowly ahead in a race that had not been called. Among the winners was Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, who will be the first Black woman governor in U.S. history.
It was a night of firsts. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton will become the first woman elected governor of Ohio. In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland will be the nation’s first Native American woman governor. Democrat Gina Hinojosa will become the first Latina governor of Texas.
“A lot of Latinas in Texas grew up hearing ‘No te dejes’” — which translates to “don’t let yourself be pushed around” — “from their own mothers and abuelas,” Hinojosa said in her victory speech. “This year, we lived them, and we changed this state.” [Continue reading…]