Meet the Women History Makers of the Midterms

The 2022 midterm elections aren’t over yet, and though key race results are still rolling in and control of the Senate and the House is too close to call, one thing is clear: women broke ground. Amid a deeply polarized political landscape, many of Tuesday’s victors made history and celebrated impressive firsts.

In a historic win, Maura Healey took the governor seat in Massachusetts, making her the nation’s first openly lesbian governor, as well as the first woman to hold the position in her state. Though the governor race in Oregon has not yet been called, Tina Kotek is poised to become one of the first out lesbian governors in the country. Representatives in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Vermont, and more also made history: Summer Lee will become Pennsylvania’s first Black congresswoman and Delia Ramirez was elected as the first Latina to represent Illinois in Congress.

In victory speeches and tweets, the newly elected officials recognized their inspiring wins and highlighted the importance of representation. “I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever, whoever you want to be,” Healey said to a crowd. Andrea Campbell, Massachusetts’s first Black woman attorney-general-elect, powerfully said, “I didn’t run to be the first, but it’s not lost on me what this means.”

These wins provide reassurance and demonstrate progress since the 2020 election, which also saw a string of influential firsts, including Sarah McBride becoming the first openly transgender state senator and highest-ranking trans official in US history, as well as Cori Bush becoming the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress.

Keep reading to meet women who made history in the 2022 midterms.

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