EIGHTEEN | FOUR | TWENTY
Ellie Shaw
Political Education & Involvement Programs | Government Affairs | Non-Profit Professional
I celebrate more women in Congress, but we have work to do. According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, "in the 116th Congress, at least 123 women will serve overall, increasing the percentage of women in Congress from 20% to 23% at minimum."
No one can argue that there were many significant "firsts" all over the country, and they should also be celebrated. However, a few stats really stand out to me from CAWP's press release.
The "year of the woman," results in an increase of three percent. In the Senate, that means 23 women (or a record 24 if Hyde-Smith prevails in the Mississippi run-off). In the House, it's an increase from 85 to at least 100 women.
SENATE
- Of the 23 women in the Senate, four are women of color.
- Arizona and Tennessee will send their first woman to the U.S. Senate.
- EIGHTEEN states have never had a woman senator.
HOUSE
- While the number of Democratic women will increase, the number of Republican women will likely drop.
- There will be a record total of at least 40 women of color in the House.
- Iowa elected their first women to the U.S. House in 2018.
- FOUR states have never sent a woman to the U.S. House: Alaska, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Vermont.
GOVERNOR
- In the states, at least nine women have won races for governor matching the previous record number of women governors.
- As a Latina, Michele Lujan Grisham (NM) will be the first Democratic woman of color governor nationwide.
- Maine, South Dakota, and Iowa (incumbent woman governor was previously appointed) elected their first woman governors.
- TWENTY states have never had a woman governor.
This is a start, but far from fully representative. When there are 18 states that have never had a woman senator, four states that have never had a woman elected to the House, and 20 states that have never had a woman governor, this seems like it should be just the beginning.
CAWP Director DebbieWalsh says, "We've seen important breakthroughs, particularly in the U.S. House, but deepening disparities between the parties in women's representation will continue to hobble us on the path to parity. We need women elected on both sides of the aisle." I heartily agree that we need more women from both parties. This is a marathon not a sprint.