In 2018, the US set a national record with 108 women being elected to the House of Representatives. In 2020, we are on track to surpass that milestone with a surge of victories by women in primaries across the country.
More than 30 states have held their primaries so far and more women have already secured their party’s House nominations than in the 2018 election cycle. As of this week, 243 women had won House primaries this year, including 169 Democrats and 74 Republicans.
Although this is by no means a guaranteed milestone, 107 more women have filed to run for a House seat in 2020 than in 2018 including nearly 50 percent more women of color.
While the Democratic party has traditionally taken the lead in nominating and electing female candidates, the change is coming from both sides of the aisle in 2020. Republican women actually saw their numbers decline, from 23 to 13 percent in 2018, but 74 republican women have advanced this year compared to 44 in 2018, an indication that the tides may be changing.
As we celebrate the first nomination of a Black and Indian-American woman on a major party’s presidential ticket in the US, we also celebrate potential record numbers of women in the House next year and representatives that more accurately reflect the demographics of the districts they advocate for.
