Women made history in the 2018 midterm elections, securing more than 100 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time.
Thirty-one women were newly elected Tuesday night, according to the Congressional Research Service, with Democrats making up 30 out of the 31 freshly minted female House members.
Women will represent two-thirds of the districts the Democratic Party flipped, according to USA Today.
Democrat Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
Tlaib will take Democratic Rep. John Conyers’ seat, which was open after he stepped down in 2017 following accusations of sexual misconduct.
Omar easily won Rep. Keith Ellison’s seat in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district. Ellison stepped away from the seat to run for Minnesota’s attorney general, a race in which he won Tuesday.
Letitia “Tish” James made history in New York by becoming the first Black woman to become attorney general for the state.
“Thank you, New York. Tonight we made history. This is a night for justice, a night for our future,” James wrote on Twitter. “I am proud to be a New Yorker who knows it’s our diversity, strength, courage and determination that makes us great. As your Attorney General, I promise to fight for all of us.”
Thank you New York. Tonight we made history.
This is a night for justice, a night for our future.
I am proud to be a New Yorker who knows it's our diversity, strength, courage and determination that makes us great.
As your Attorney General I promise to fight for all of us. pic.twitter.com/J9QkzeALoa
— Tish James (@TishJames) November 7, 2018
Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland became the first Native American women elected to Congress, according to CNN.
Democrat Davids, who identifies as a lesbian, defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Kevin Yoder in Kansas. She will be the first openly LGBT member of Congress to represent the state.
Haaland, also a Democrat, will take over the seat held by New Mexico Democratic Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Grisham left the seat to run for governor, a race she won.
Democrat Jahana Hayes, former National Teacher of the Year, defeated Republican Manny Santos in Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, becoming the state’s first Black woman elected to Congress.
“When I started this campaign, I knew I couldn’t do it alone but I asked you to trust me with your vote and to trust me with your voice,” Hayes wrote on Twitter. “You joined me on this journey and I thank every person who also believed that we are much better together.”
When I started this campaign, I knew I couldn’t do it alone but I asked you to trust me with your vote and to trust me with your voice. You joined me on this journey and I thank every person who also believed that we are much better together.
— Jahana Hayes (@JahanaHayesCT) November 7, 2018
Massachusetts also elected its first Black woman to Congress—Ayanna Pressley, who ran unopposed.
Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, handily won her seat for New York’s 14th congressional district, becoming the youngest woman elected to Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez defeated Rep. Joe Crowley in June, all but ensuring her victory in the midterm elections.
https://twitter.com/jessicabennett/status/1060032254775357446
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) congratulated the winning women.
“Instead of just thanking women of color for electing progressive leaders yesterday, America elected women of color as those leaders,” she wrote.
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