10 of the most inspirational political events of 2018

1. Record-breaking number of women won U.S. elections

The number of women representing Americans in Congress remains low, particularly when compared to other nations. Overall, for every woman who has secured political office in the United States, there are three men in the same position. That number can vary dramatically when you break it down by state.

Yet, even with significant hurdles still ahead, the 2018 midterms brought big wins for women. A record number of female candidates ran for office this year. Of those candidates, enough won their races that the United States now has, for its history at least, a record-breaking number of women preparing to serve come January 2019.

Some of those women also broke their own records. We already discussed Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who simultaneously became the first Muslim women to serve in Congress. Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids also became the first Native American women elected to Congress. Davids, by the way, is also one of a number of openly LGBTQ candidates who won office.

Of the women running for office this year, the great majority of them ran as Democrats. Some, like New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were even farther to the left.

There’s a lot to anticipate from the wave of women in U.S. politics. Generally, studies have shown that female politicians are more likely to advocate for action on women’s and family issues, such as reproductive healthcare and family leave policies. Women are also more likely to get things done in Congress, and to do so efficiently.

Some big gaps remain. There still has been no woman elected to the office of President of the United States, and many states still haven’t elected women to major roles like senator or governor. But there is hope that this is more than a statistical anomaly. Women, it seems, are increasingly a part of U.S. politics, a trend which we hope to see increase in 2020.