‘Tired of waiting’, women make record gains in US Congress

DEMOCRATIC WOMEN CANDIDATES AND VOTERS SAID THEY FELT CONGRESS WAS NOT ADDRESSING ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THEM, INCLUDING EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, GUN CONTROL AND IMMIGRATION

NEW BRITAIN: First-time political candidate Jahana Hayes has a simple explanation for why she — and a record number of other women — ran for seats in the US Congress this year.

“Many women like me are just tired of waiting for someone else to do it,” said Hayes, who was elected on Tuesday to represent a broad swath of Western Connecticut in the House of Representatives.

In the Nov. 6 elections, there were 237 women on ballots for House seats and at least 95 had won their races as of early Wednesday morning, shattering the previous record of 84 women in the House, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Eighty-three of the women who won were Democrats.

The first three House seats Democrats wrested from Republicans were won by women. The enthusiasm for women’s candidacies had Democrats on track early Wednesday to pick up around 30 seats, with some races still undecided — more than the 23 they needed to gain control of the chamber.

In dozens of interviews ahead of Tuesday’s election, Democratic women candidates and voters told Reuters that they felt Congress was not addressing issues important to them, including education, healthcare, gun control and immigration.

As catalysts for their political engagement, many of them also cited the #Metoo movement against sexual assault, Trump’s 2016 election despite multiple sexual misconduct allegations, and the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after allegations about his sexual misconduct in high school were made by Christine Blasey Ford.

Nearly 80% of the women competing in House races this year were, like Hayes, Democrats, according to the center’s data. But their stories, politics and reasons for seeking office were varied.

Women from Michigan and Minnesota will be the first Muslim women in the House. Candidates from Kansas and New Mexico will be the first Native American women in Congress. Texas elected two Latinas to the House for the first time. Some women who won are veterans; others used to work for the CIA.

Hayes, who will be the first black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress, grew up in public housing and openly talks about her mother’s past substance abuse. At 17, she became pregnant with her first child, but she persisted with her education, graduating from college, getting a master’s degree and becoming a teacher.

When it comes to politics, Hayes says her political success was unanticipated. “Nothing in my life says I should be here,” she has said.