Women Aren't Just Running for Office, They're Winning
Women across the country are rising up to run for office in record numbers.
Since the 2016 election, 36,000 women have contacted Emily's List about running for office, and 417 women have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
This May, 2018, Maggie's List, a federal political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing fiscally conservative women to federal office and statewide executive office, announced that they are endorsing 49 candidates for United States Senate, United States House of Representatives races and state-wide offices.
According to CNN, "In 1970, there was just one female Senate candidate. Today, there are 49 to 54 women running, depending on whether and which third-party candidates you include. There are 394 women running for the House and 56 in governor's races (including third-party candidates), as of May 23."
CNN also reports that Arizona has never had a woman in the Senate, making it a hotly contested seat. There are multiple women running for both the Republican and Democratic nominations in a primary on Aug. 28.
According to the Center for American Women in Politics, the number of Democratic women running for House seats this year increased 146 percent over 2016 (to 351), while the number of Republican women running for the House increased just 35 percent (to 99); on the other side of the Capitol there are only 14 Republican women running for Senate compared to 27 Democratic women.
This wave of female candidates is groundbreaking, making clear that women will be the foundation of change in 2018.
After this season’s first batch of primary races, we know women aren’t just running; they’re winning. Specifically Democratic women are winning.
Approximately one-third of the way through primary season, here’s a look at where Democratic women candidates are by the numbers:
289 Democratic women remain in the running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, 29 Democratic women remain in the running for the U.S. Senate, and 43 remain in gubernatorial contests.
In the 65 contested Democratic races between men and women without an incumbent candidate, women won 45.
In the May 8 primaries in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, and West Virginia, 22 of 31 Democratic omen wo their races.
In the Texas primaries, 24 Democratic omen either won or made it into the top two spots for runoff elections out of 32 congressional districts.
In first big primary night, of the 27 female House candidates who were successful, nearly 30 percent were women of color.
Tomorrow’s California primaries, a record 57 women will be on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Women are paying attention, and they’re rising up to make their voices heard. Who is excited for this sea change?
Photo by Mirah Curzer on Unsplash