US Congress Gains a Record Number of Women in Election
A record number of women will serve in the US Congress, thanks to the recent election. The number is 131 women who are set to serve which is a slight increase from the 2018 record sworn in. This increase in women running for office is tremendous as America pleads for a more diverse government. The Squad made up of US House of Representative members- Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib- were all elected in 2018 and have made themselves very popular in the eyes of younger generations seeking diversity. And they will accompany the women serving in this record number of women in the 117th US Congress. So, as they have paved the way for voicing the need for diversity since 2018 it’s promising that these numbers will only increase from here. And although they aren’t the first women or women of color, they are surely making waves and their accomplishments won’t be negated or misplaced by any means. Just because you aren’t the first doesn’t mean you will be the last. And in this year’s newly elected representatives, Americans are seeing just that.
As reported by the Washington Post 125 women won their elections out of 277 female candidates running for the US Congress. Let’s hope that this number continues to grow and make our federal government a more diverse place for Americans to look toward.
The New York Times, a gender-focused subset, reported via Instagram that, “Women across the U.S. made several gains in this week’s election, producing a string of first down the ballot in both the House and the Senate. Thirty-one Republican women were voted in — which is more than in any other election cycle — representing about 13% of their party in both the House and the Senate, as of today. “ Continuing to say, “For the first time, voters in Missouri elected a Black woman to the House, Washington State elected a Korean-American woman to the House, New Mexico’s three-member delegation to the House will be made up entirely of women of color and a woman will represent Wyoming in the Senate.” And that’s not the whole story either. These are just a few of the remarkable statistics and stories to come out of this past election. Not to forget, Kamala Harris as she was elected Vice President-Elect becoming the first female, first Black woman, and first South Asian to be elected to this position.
Here’s to a more diverse US Congress, more equipped to govern people of all aspects of life regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, party, and so on. It’s been a long time coming, and surely the work is far from done. Let’s just hope that these results help to bring a divided nation closer through activism, policymaking, and flat out proper governing.