Home / News Women (and mothers) made history in the midterms 👏 A record number of women are headed to congress. By Heather Marcoux November 7, 2018 Rectangle Inside this article As of Wednesday morning, 116 women were leading or elected in their Congress and gubernatorial contests. Table of Contents Toggle As of Wednesday morning, 116 women were leading or elected in their Congress and gubernatorial contests. American mothers are waking up in a different world today. A world where more is possible for women and for the generation of girls we are raising. As of Wednesday morning, 116 women were leading or elected in their Congress and gubernatorial contests. ??? ?MORNING UPDATE? As of this morning 95 [83D, 12R] women have been elected to the US House and 12 women have been e… https://t.co/KnBPlVifQE — CAWP (@CAWP_RU) 1541597231.0 While the number of women in the Senate is slightly down, the overall gains in the house signal a new era for women in American politics. Tennessee elected its first woman senator in Republican mother-of-two Marsha Blackburn. Illinois Democrat Lauren Underwood became the first woman ever elected to Congress in the state’s 14th district. Minnesota made history by sending Ilhan Omar (a Muslim, Somali-American mother-of-three) to Congress. And these are just a few of the women making history today. There are so many more. Millennial Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at 29 years old. Mother-of-four Angie Craig is now the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Minnesota. New Mexico and Kansas sent the first Native-American women to Congress, electing Debra Haaland and Sharice Davids, both Democrats. In South Dakota, Republican mother-of-three Kristi Noem will be the first woman governor in that state. What does this mean for the mamas of America? It means more representation. It means there are more lawmakers who know what it’s like to struggle to find childcare, to have to struggle for equal pay, and to not have access to paid parental leave. When legislators understand what American women are facing (because they’ve faced it themselves) the chances of policies that support women and families succeeding is greater. When girls see women who look like them holding political office, the chances that they will consider a run one day are greater. When a government looks more like the people it represents, it is greater. Today, these women are making history. Tomorrow, they’ll make changes. [Correction, November 7, 2018: A previous version of this post stated that Illinois’ Lauren Underwood became the first woman ever elected to Congress in her state. It should have read “Lauren Underwood became the first woman ever elected to Congress her state’s 14th district.” We regret this error.] You might also like: Mothers want to run in the mid-term elections but they’re facing a common problem: childcare Jacinda Ardern bringing her baby to the UN is an important milestone for all mothers Tammy Duckworth makes history by bringing her baby on the senate floor ? Categories: News, Life Inside this article As of Wednesday morning, 116 women were leading or elected in their Congress and gubernatorial contests. Related articles Parenting America runs on mothers’ sacrifice—and it’s not OK May 10, 2022 Career & Money There’s only one job where women make more than men in America—and the ‘motherhood penalty’ only makes the gap larger October 26, 2018 Career & Money 42% of women are less likely to start a business after having kids—here’s why that needs to change December 4, 2024 Work & Motherhood The case for ‘staying home’ with kids Updated April 25, 2023 Parenting Mothers don’t want more ‘self-care.’ They want society to care. October 29, 2021