Whether you went out to the polls to exercise your civic duty or stayed glued to the TV all night analyzing the results as they poured in, it was apparent that this midterm election season was one of the most pivotal and contested events of our lifetime thus far.
From upsets to landslide wins, there was a lot to digest on election night. It was a big night for both Democrats and Republicans with Democrats running with the rumored “blue wave” movement by flipping the House of Representatives and the Republicans upholding a “red wall” in the Senate.
Parties aside, it was a historic night for women in politics.
CNN predicted that roughly 98 women could win their House races and 12 could win seats in the Senate.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) became the first woman elected senator from Tennessee and previously served in the US House since 2003.
Another first goes to the first Muslim women elected to Congress, Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a Somali-American refugee.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the ripe age of 29.
Native American women finally had their voices heard with Sharice Davids (D-KS), of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and Debra Haaland (D-NM), a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, becoming the first Native American women elected to Congress.
The vote is still out and despite party affiliation, Arizona will elect its first female senator to Congress. Only time will tell if it will be Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) or Martha McSally (R-AZ).
Despite a neck-and-neck Senate race between Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, the “Lone Star” state will elect its first Hispanic women to Congress. Veronica Escobar will replace O’Rourke in the US House, and Sylvia Garcia will take over for Democrat Gene Green.
In the gubernatorial races, South Dakota elected its first female governor, Republican Kristi Noem, who flipped the former blue state to red.
During the duration of the midterm election season, rumors ran rampant of an alleged “blue wave,” but what actually took place was a “wave of women.”
Diversity should be celebrated, and in what better way than to elect those diverse individuals into office?
This midterm election season revealed how much the U.S. has progressed since the 2016 election and showcased the public’s yearning for a more diverse political landscape. Now, only time will tell if the public will follow this female trend during the upcoming 2020 presidential election.