With the defeat of Hillary in the 2016 presidential election, it seems that all focus has been taken off of political women in power, especially off of the extraordinary women who won their place in the House and Senate. Today there are 20 women in the Senate and 104 in the House, and although this percentage is on the lower side (19%), there are some amazing women in these numbers who are making a difference. Check out these girl bosses:
1. Mazie Hirono
In the Senate since 2013, Mazie is not only the first female Senator of Hawaii, but she is also the first Asian American Senator and first Senator born in Japan.
2. Tammy Duckworth
After her career in the House, Tammy joined the Senate in the 2016 elections. She is the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first member in the House and the Senate to be born in Thailand, and also the first disabled woman elected to the House of Representatives. She lost both of her legs in the Iraq War as an army helicopter pilot and received a Purple Heart before moving into politics.
3. Catherine Cortez Masto
Masto is the first woman in Senate from Nevada, as well as the first Latina elected to the Senate. Before the election, she worked her way up to become Nevada’s Attorney General for eight years.
4. Kamala Harris
Kamala, representing California, is the second black woman and first American-Indian woman to be elected to the Senate. Previously, she was California’s Attorney General for two terms, breaking records as the first female, black woman, and American-Indian as Attorney General in California.
5. Elizabeth Warren
Although she was picked on by Trump, her name did not just gain recognition through this election season. As an incumbent senator of Massachusetts and a very educated woman, Elizabeth established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has passed over 36 bills, and is now a senior senator.
6. Dianne Feinstein
Dianne became one of California’s first female senators in 1992 and has remained in office since! She has been a part of more than a dozen acts over the years, is a member of 10 committees, and is the Vice Chairman of two committees.
Need a role model? Take your pick.