Horn taps network of women, young people for upset

OKLAHOMA CITY — A Democratic attorney tapped into a network of enthusiastic women and young people in an increasingly diverse capital city to pull off one of the elections’ biggest upsets, snatching a congressional seat in deep-red Oklahoma that was in Republican hands for four decades.

Tuesday’s victory by Kendra Horn, 42, over retired Army officer and GOP Rep. Steve Russell capped a historic night for female candidates who ran for office, and won, in record numbers across the U.S.

Horn became only the third woman ever elected to Congress from Oklahoma, a state that ranks among the lowest in the nation for women in elective office. But Tuesday saw a dramatic turnaround, especially in Oklahoma City, where women won races up and down the ballot.

As of Wednesday, voters sent at least 100 women to the U.S. House, surpassing the previous record of 84.