Congress will be a little more female come January.
For the first time ever, there will be more than 100 women in the House of Representatives.
As of Wednesday morning, 95 women had already been declared winners, with several others expected to win in races where votes are still being counted. At least three women are projected winners, bringing the tally to 98. In another two races, both candidates are women, meaning that at least 100 women will be sent to the House next year.
This number far exceeds the previously held record of 85 women in 2016. The House has had 84 women in the last three Congresses, the most recent of which was reached following the election of Republican Debbie Lesko in a special election for Arizona’s 8th district in late April. (The total had dipped to 83 following the death of Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) in March.)
Of the women elected to the House, at least 84 are Democrats and 14 are Republicans, according to the latest projections. 65 female incumbents have been re-elected thus far, while at least 33 women will be heading to the House for the first time, including high-profile candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley.
A slightly less impressive 12 women have been declared winners of Senate races so far, bringing the total number of women in the Senate to 22. Nevertheless, it’s enough to break another record overall for Congress: the 116th Congress will have at least 117 women overall, up from the current total of 107, according to the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.
