The Trailblazing Women Of The US Midterms

The Democrat candidate won the race for Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, having defeated 10-term Democrat incumbent Mike Capuano in the September primary election and running unopposed in the midterms. “In Congress, I will be focused on lifting up the voices of those in community, partnering with activists and residents, and ensuring that those closest to the pain are closest to the power, driving and informing the policy-making,” Pressley said.

Image credit: Instagram @ayannapressley

Both Democrats, Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib and Somali-American Ilhan Omar won Michigan’s 13th Congressional District and Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, respectively. Omar, who is the first refugee and hijab-wearing woman to be elected to Congress, holds a number of progressive views, including the provision of universal healthcare and free college education to all Americans. Tlaib’s campaign focused on issues such as raising the minimum wage to $15, preventing cuts to welfare programs such as Medicare and Social Security, as well as preventing tax cuts to large corporations.

Image credit: Instagram @rashidatlaib

At 29, Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman to be elected to Congress after she defeated Republican Anthony Pappas in a landslide victory, winning over 75 per cent of the vote in the race for New York’s 14th Congressional District. A Hispanic Democrat, Ocasio-Cortez supports a number of progressive policies, including efforts to abolish ICE, as well as establishing a federal jobs guarantee and universal healthcare.

Image credit: Instagram @ocasio2018

Alongside Sharice Davids, Democrat candidate Haaland became one of the first Native American women elected to Congress when she won New Mexico’s first Congressional District. Haaland is dedicated to improving Native American political representation, and while she is passionate about progressive issues like universal healthcare and raising the minimum wage to $15, her main passions include the environment and renewable energy.

Image credit: Instagram @deb4congressnm

The lawyer, activist and Democrat became the first African-American woman to be elected to a statewide office and to the position of attorney general after overwhelmingly defeating Republican nominee Keith Wofford. In her victory speech, James pledged to continue the office’s scrutiny of President Trump, name a public ethics counsel, pursue criminal justice reform and push to bring corruption cases independent of the governor’s office.

Image source: Instagram @tishjames2018

Although Taylor Swift famously broke her political silence to speak out against the conservative Republican candidate, Swift’s star power wasn’t enough to stop Blackburn, who defeated former Democrat governor Phil Bredesen by 10 points. Blackburn, who aligned herself closely with President Trump and his policies during the race, is opposed to same-sex marriage, legalised abortion, and the Affordable Care Act.

Image source: Twitter @MarshaBlackburn

Hayes, a Democrat who was named Connecticut’s National Teacher of the Year in 2016, defeated Republican Manny Santos in the state’s 5th Congressional District. The former history teacher supports a number of progressive policies including stricter gun control, improving public education, and single-payer healthcare.

Image credit: Instagram @realjahanahayes

In a state where over 40 per cent of the population are Hispanic, Democrats Escobar and Garcia became the state’s first Hispanic women to be elected to federal office. Escobar won the seat vacated by Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke in the state’s 16th Congressional District, while Garcia won the 29th District. Both women support abortion rights and cited the President’s policies as motivation for running. But they differ on immigration rights: Garcia supports abolishing ICE, while Escobar wants to hold the agency more accountable for its actions.

Image credit: Twitter @vgescobar

The Republican became the first female governor of South Dakota after defeating Democrat Billie Sutton in a tight race. A member of the House of Representatives for eight years, Noem voted in favour of Obamacare repeal, and has firm anti-abortion views, receiving an ‘A’ rating from the National Right to Life movement during her time in the House. Noem’s campaign focused on keeping taxes low, cutting government spending, and introducing more government transparency.

Image credit: Instagram @repkristinoem

Democrats Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne won the race for Iowa’s first and third Districts by close margins, beating incumbent Republican candidates Rod Blum and David Young, respectively. Finkenauer – who at 29 is one of the youngest women to be elected to Congress – campaigned on improving the lives of working classes by providing more affordable healthcare and education. Axne, a small business owner, campaigned on issues including raising wages and protecting union rights.

Image credit: Instagram @abby4iowa

The Democrat and state attorney general beat out Republican Shawn Moody to become Maine’s first female governor. Some of Mills’ main political priorities include increasing access to Medicaid, providing broadband access in rural areas and addressing the state’s opioid crisis.

Image source: Twitter @JanetMillsforME