The 2018 Midterm Election was a big know your value moment for women across the country.
You’ve been hearing that a blue wave was coming. But, that didn’t exactly happen. However, the 2018 Midterms was a night filled with many long-overdue, barrier-breaking, and a historic election night for women.
Republicans kept the Senate – and picked up seats in the process, while the Dems took control of the House for the first time in eight years. For the first time ever, over 100 women were elected to the United States House of Representatives, shattering the previous record of 84. Additionally, 40 women of color are headed to the House.
If that wasn’t enough, women voted for Democrats 59 percent to 40 voting for Republican — the largest margin seen in midterm exit polls, according to data from CNN. Millennials had everyone wondering if they would turn out to vote. Guess what? They did! Millennials, specifically those under 30, outperformed all other groups.
Here are a few of the candidates who made history…
- Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat, is the first black woman to serve in the Massachusetts Congressional delegation.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, is the youngest woman ever elected to serve in Congress.
- Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, is the first woman elected to the Senate from Tennessee.
- Rashida Tlaib, a Democrats, became the first female Muslim to represent Michigan in Congress.
- Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, became the first female Somali-American ever elected to represent Michigan in Congress.
- Lauren Underwood, a Democrat, is a registered nurse who beat an incumbent Republican to become the first woman to represent the 14th District of Illinois in Congress.
- Democrats Sharice Davids in Kansas and Deb Haaland in New Mexico became the first Native American women elected to Congress.
- Letitia James, Democrat, elected the Attorney General of New York — the first Black woman ever elected to statewide office.
- Jahana Hayes, a Democrat, became the first Black woman ever elected to represent Connecticut in Congress.
What personal or professional barrier did you break this year?
