All month long women have been racking up wins in Democratic primaries and Tuesday night was no different, as female candidates secured victories in Texas, Kentucky and Georgia.
If the momentum behind women holds, their number could dramatically increase in Congress and statehouses. Eighty-four women are serving in the House and six are governors.
In Georgia, former state minority leader Stacey Abrams became the first black woman to win a major party nomination in a gubernatorial bid. If elected, she’d be the first black female governor in U.S. history.
In Texas, party favorite Lizzie Pannill Fletcher beat progressive Laura Moser in the 7th Congressional District, a closely watched House race that is a top target for Democrats. Fletcher will take on incumbent Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas.
Across the state, former Air Force intelligence officer Gina Ortiz Jones beat fellow Democrat Rick Trevino. Ortiz Jones would be the first Filipina-American, Iraq veteran, and lesbian to represent Texas in Congress if she ousts Republican Rep. Will Hurd in November.
Four other Democratic women won their House runoffs in Texas, and Lupe Valdez beat Andrew White in the runoff for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. If Valdez wins in November she’d be the state’s first Latina and openly gay governor.
Retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath bested the Democratic establishment’s preferred candidate, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray in Kentucky’s 6th District. McGrath will battle incumbent Republican Andy Barr in general.
The wins come after female candidates dominated in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio and Nebraska primaries this month. Still, the women who won Tuesday night and earlier this month face tough contests heading into November. Those running in GOP-held districts will have to play their cards just right.
Next up, Democrats will turn their sights to California, one of the most progressive states in the country. Ironically, it’s there that the momentum behind female candidates could stall. Not only is it possible that zero Democratic women could make it to the general in all of the districts Democrats are targeting, but Democratic candidates could get shut out of most of them altogether.
The number of women in the House could triple if those still in the running win in the fall, according to Politico’s Women Candidate Tracker. There are 63 women awaiting gubernatorial primaries and three women who have advanced. The number of women serving in the Senate, however, could take a hit. If the five most vulnerable Democratic women lose their re-election bids this year, that would wipe out a third of the women in the Senate.
