Some of the women being sworn into office after setting records in the 2018 midterms
A record number of women were elected to the House in November's midterm elections, but female candidates also contested governor's and Senate races across the country. Here's a look at the candidates in some of the key races in which women made significant achievements in 2018 and are now being sworn into office to begin work.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated a little-known Republican opponent Tuesday in a congressional district representing part of New York City and, at 29, became the youngest woman elected to Congress.
"There is nothing inherently noble about protecting a status quo that does not serve the needs of working-class Americans," said Ocasio-Cortez, one of a handful of Congressional candidates in 2018 who identified as democratic socialists.
Ocasio-Cortez' victory over Republican Anthony Pappas, an economics professor, had been widely expected since the Democratic primary in June, when she scored an unanticipated upset over 10-term U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley.
— By STEPHEN R. GROVES, Associated Press
Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna Pressley didn't campaign to make history, but she did in November, officially becoming Massachusetts' first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Democrat sailed through the general election unopposed, two months after unseating 10-term Rep. Michael Capuano in a national political stunner in the state primary.
"Activists and agitators have brought us to this very moment," Pressley told cheering supporters on election night. "None of us ran to make history. We ran to make change ... and change is on the way."
— WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press
Jennifer Wexton
Democrat Jennifer Wexton defeated two-term Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock on in the midterms in a northern Virginia congressional race that drew national attention.
The race was long seen as a prime opportunity for Democrats to pick up one of the 23 seats they need to gain to take control of the House of Representatives.
The 10th District stretches from wealthy precincts in McLean inside the Capital Beltway west through suburban Loudoun County and out to rural parts of the state including Winchester.
— By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press
Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala, the ex-Health and Human Services secretary running for elective office for the first time at age 77, won the 27th District over former television journalist Maria Elvira Salazar. The district was represented for decades by GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring.
Shalala noted that both of her opponents in the race for a House seat from Florida were women.
"This is the year of the woman, and the fact that women were willing to put themselves on the line is important, whether they've been Republicans or Democrats," said Shalala.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell emigrated from Ecuador at age 14, lived for a time in a one-room Miami apartment with her family and is now headed to the U.S. House after defeating a Republican incumbent.
Mucarsel-Powell ousted GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo in November's election in her first try for federal office, representing a district that stretches from south of Miami to Key West. She ran unsuccessfully for the Florida Senate in 2016.
Her first job as a teenager was at a doughnut shop, but she worked to get a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree from Claremont University in international political economy.
Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia
Texas elected a Latina to Congress for the first time. Two of them, in fact: Democrats Veronica Escobar of El Paso, left, and Sylvia Garcia of Houston.
Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids
New Mexico Democrat Deb Haaland, left, and Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids were elected the first two Native American women to serve in Congress.
Davids is also the first openly LGBT person to represent Kansas at the federal level.
Marsha Blackburn
Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn won a grueling, expensive contest in November to become the first female U.S. senator from Tennessee, keeping a key midterm seat under GOP control.
The congresswoman defeated Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen by closely aligning her bid with President Donald Trump, who drummed up support for her during three visits to the state that he won by 26 percentage points, including a rally alongside Vice President Mike Pence in Chattanooga two days before the election.
"Now, you don't have to worry if you're going to call me congressman, or congresswoman, or congress lady. Now, senator will do," she said in her victory speech. Blackburn calls herself congressman, not congresswoman.
— By JONATHAN MATTISE, Associated Press
Tammy Baldwin
Democratic Wisconsin Sen., one of the most liberal members of Congress, defeated Republican Leah Vukmir, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, to win a second term in November.
Baldwin led Vukmir in fundraising and the polls throughout the race. Vukmir campaigned as the underdog and urged Republicans who supported Trump to surprise the pollsters like they did in 2016.
But Democrats came through for Baldwin in a race that marked the first time in Wisconsin history both major party candidates for U.S. Senate were women.
— By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press
Janet Mills
Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills won the race to succeed firebrand GOP Gov. Paul LePage, becoming the first woman to serve as governor in Maine.
The former lawmaker and prosecutor defeated Republican businessman Shawn Moody and independent state treasurer Terry Hayes, who conceded on election night.
Mills pledged to usher in an era of "open doors" and collaboration in state government. She also vowed to change the tone after eight years of LePage's combative style, and to fight LePage and Trump administration policies on environmental, immigration and welfare.
— By MARINA VILLENEUVE, Associated Press
Kate Brown
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown was re-elected in November, saying she won her first full term as leader of the Pacific Northwest state in a "slam-dunk."
Brown noted that several female candidates had won governorships in the midterm elections, and that Oregon voters had rejected a ballot measure to repeal the state's sanctuary status for immigrants.
"With this election cycle we tripled the number of Democratic women governors serving in this country," Brown told a cheering crowd at another Portland hotel. "Tonight, we can say we fought to keep Oregon a welcoming and inclusive place for all."
Brown was first appointed governor in February 2015 after Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned. She easily was elected in her own right in 2016 to finish out the term of Kitzhaber, who resigned amid accusations of influence peddling involving his fiancee.
— By ANDREW SELSKY, Associated Press
Kristi Noem
Republican Rep. Kristi Noem overcame an unusually strong Democratic challenge to win the South Dakota governor's race, becoming the first woman elected to the office in the state's history.
Noem, a four-term congresswoman, said it's "pretty humbling" to be elected the state's first female governor, but that it wasn't a big focus during the race against Democratic state Sen. Billie Sutton. Instead, she drew on her farming and ranching background and congressional achievements — including passing GOP tax cuts — to claim the historic victory.
"I feel relieved," Noem told The Associated Press. "We worked hard and shared my vision for the state, and I'm just very grateful that the people of South Dakota put their trust in me to be their next governor."
— By JAMES NORD, Associated Press
Kim Reynolds
Republican Kim Reynolds won her first full term as governor, beating Democratic businessman Fred Hubbell to become the first woman elected governor in Iowa.
Reynolds became governor in 2017 after Terry Branstad was named ambassador to China. She had previously won two terms as lieutenant governor.
In her campaign, Reynolds pointed to Iowa's low unemployment rate and her support of legislation that lowered taxes, expanded mental health options and sought to outlaw most abortions.
— By DAVID PITT, Associated Press
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