Moreover, 2018 boosted wins for women of color. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is the first black U.S. representative in the state’s history. She made waves during the primary this year after unseating a longtime incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano.
Tuesday night also brought in the two first-ever Native American women elected to Congress, Democrats Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland of Kansas and New Mexico, respectively, and the first two Hispanic women to represent Texas in Congress with Democrats Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia.
Rashida Tlaib, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, is also the first Palestinian woman in Congress. Democrat Lauren Underwood took a seat in Illinois, unseating her Republican opponent in the process and flipping a district that typically votes Republican. And former National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes became the first black woman to represent Connecticut.