The results of this year’s midterm elections generated a lot of “firsts” from both the Democratic and Republican parties, especially in electing women to office.
Although ballots are still being counted as I am writing this, multiple news organizations have called these races along with projected winners.
Notable victories from the Democratic Party include Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey becoming the nation’s first openly lesbian governor and Kathy Hochul becoming New York’s first elected female governor.
Republican candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to become the first woman elected governor in Arkansas. Sanders might also become the first daughter in U.S history to serve as governor of the same state her father once led. Healey, Sanders, and Hochul are three of a record 25 women who ran for governor in 2022, exceeding the previous high of 16 female gubernatorial candidates in 2018.
Notably, a record number of women of color were elected this year, including Democrat Delia Ramirez, the first Latina elected to Congress from Illinois. Additionally, Democrat Summer Lee is the first Black woman to be elected to Congress from Pennsylvania, along with Democrat Stephanie Thomas becoming the first Black female Secretary of State in Connecticut.
Despite the Supreme Court’s latest Dobbs decision, voters made their support for abortion rights clear in California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana.
Specifically, California, Michigan, and Vermont voted to codify abortion rights into their respective constitutions via ballot questions and measures. Kentucky and Montana voters rejected their states’ initiatives to restrict abortion access. Many women’s groups celebrated Election Night, and studies have proven that increasing access to abortion services improves women’s health outcomes.