Before we start crowing, we have to point out that women still make up just 20 percent of the U.S. Senate. And that’s a really low number considering that women make up more than half the population and rank just 55th in political empowerment globally.
But … women senate candidates had great results last night! There will now be 20 women in the upper body of the Congress, compared to the 17 currently in Congress (which was the highest total to that point).
Here are last night’s winners:
NEWBIES:
Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.)–who will be the first openly gay U.S. senator!
Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
REELECTED:
Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
And here are the women senators who weren’t up for reelection but will still be serving (Olympia Snowe of Maine and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas are retiring):
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)–note that, in New Hampshire, women really rule, as the senators, congresspeople (Carol Shea-Porter and Ann Kuster, both Democrats) and new governor, Maggie Hasson (D) are all women!!
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Mary Landrieu (D-La.)
Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
Now that we’ve reached 20 percent, time to boost our efforts, encourage and support women running and head toward 50 percent!
Photo of incoming senator Elizabeth Warren from Flickr user qwrrty under license from Creative Commons 2.0
