Increase in female candidates for 2018 midterms
As the deadline to announce candidacy for the 2018 Midterm Elections approaches, the names of the candidates are inciting a wave of pink across the country. As of Feb. 6, the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics has reported that there are 415 women running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Out of the female candidates, 72 are running for reelection. The majority of the female candidates are Democrats; the numbers break down to 329 Democratic candidates and 86 Republican candidates.
There are also 50 female candidates running for positions in the U.S. Senate, including 12 incumbent candidates. Of these 50 candidates, over half of the women (31) are Democratic candidates. The remaining 19 candidates are Republican.
The 2018 Midterm Election shows a dramatic increase in the amount of women on the campaign trail. During the 2016 elections, only 16 women ran for a position in the U.S. Senate (12 Democrats, 4 Republicans) and 167 women ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (120 Democrats, 47 Republicans).
This increase in female politicians may be attributed to the revitalization in female activism since the election of President Trump in 2016. The Women’s March on Jan. 2017 rallied millions of people to participate in what has been referred to as “likely the largest single-day demonstration in recorded U.S. History.”
Many of the female candidates now running in the midterms have gone on the record with media outlets such as Time Magazine, The Daily News, USA Today and The Washington Post to credit the upsurge in female activism as their inspiration for running for positions that will allow them to actively participate in the U.S. government.
Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.
There are a total of 22 female Pennsylvanians running for positions in the 2018 Midterm Elections. Of these 22 women, one is running for governor, three are running for lieutenant governor, two for Senate and 16 for seats in the House. Nineteen of the candidates are Democrats and the remaining three are Republicans. Pennsylvania currently holds 18 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and women candidates are campaigning in 9 of the Congressional Districts of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia falls into the 1st, 2nd and 13th Congressional Districts. Lindy Li (D) and Nina N. Ahmad (D) are both campaigning to represent the 1st Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
Midterm Elections are held every two years, a schedule that was designed to intersect each presidential term. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are open for the election. The primary elections will be held on March 15, and the general election is scheduled for Nov. 6. The deadline for individuals to file for candidacy is March 6.
