Women make record gains

New York, November 8 

A record number of close to 100 women, majority of them being Democrats, won seats in the House, a massive victory for women candidates across the political spectrum. At least 28 of them were elected to the House for the first time. The elections also resulted in Rashida Tlaib becoming the first Muslim woman elected to the House of Representatives along with Somali-American Ilhan Omar.

On the Senate side, CNN projected that 12 women would win Senate seats, with two newly elected women joining nine women incumbents. Eight women-four incumbents and four non-incumbents-would win races to the Governors’ seats.

According to a CNN report, a tally from the Congressional Research Service said the previous record of 85 representatives served in the 114th Congress, including two members who resigned and one who was elected to fill a vacancy. 

Arizona is poised to elect its first female senator no matter which party wins, which will add to the Senate tally above. “The historic totals capped off a campaign season in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election that was defined in large part by female activism,” the CNN report said.

A CNN analysis at the outset of the general election noted 256 women won House and Senate primaries-a record level that paved the way for Tuesday’s victories.

The high-stakes 2018 midterm elections in the US delivered several significant firsts as millions came out in record numbers to elect the first two Muslim women to Congress, the youngest woman ever in Congress and the nation’s first openly gay governor. — PTI