95 GLIMMERS OF HOPE

Lucas,

In the midst of this heartbreaking presidential loss, I want to share some glimmers of hope — 95 of them, to be exact.

That's the number of EMILY's List women who won their races this week, with many shattering their own glass ceilings along the way.

At EMILY's List, we believe with all our hearts that the only way to make better policy is to make sure that leaders with diverse perspectives have a seat at the table. And thanks to this community, come January we'll be welcoming the most diverse incoming Congress in history.

These women are passionate, hardworking, and inspiring. Here are the new voices headed to Congress and state and local office next year:

The Senate

As tough as it is to not take back the Senate this year, four incredible women will be heading there next year, and three of them are women of color. To put that in perspective, consider this: Up until this year, only two women of color have ever served in the Senate, and they were elected 20 years apart.

In January 2017, we will greet Senators Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada, Kamala Harris from California, Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire as they join returning EMILY's List Senator Patty Murray from Washington State.

Catherine will be the first ever Latina in the Senate, and this year she successfully kept Harry Reid's Senate seat blue. Kamala will be the first Indian American and the second African American woman to ever serve in the Senate. And Tammy will be the first Thai American and Democratic woman combat veteran in the Senate. Their historic victories will have ripple effects over the decades to come, and they will bring with them perspectives that are both necessary and long overdue.

The House

We also elected eight new pro-choice Democratic women this year: Val Demings (FL), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), Stephanie Murphy (FL), Pramila Jayapal (WA), Colleen Hanabusa (HI), Carol Shea-Porter (NH), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Nanette Barragán (CA); along with eight returning members of Congress who faced uphill reelection battles.

Six of our incoming congresswomen are women of color, with several shattering glass ceilings this year, including Pramila Jayapal, who will be the first Indian American woman ever elected to the House; Stephanie Murphy, who will be the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress; and Lisa Blunt Rochester, who will be the first woman and person of color to represent Delaware in any capacity in Congress.

These women will hold Republicans accountable at a time when we will need it the most.

State and Local Races

And finally, we'll be welcoming 75 women to office at the state and local level next year, including 30 women of color. Our state and local candidates play a critical role in protecting choice and fighting for women and families in state legislatures and local offices across the country.

We are proud to have worked with Susana Mendoza of Illinois, who will be the first-ever Latina to be elected comptroller in the nation, and Kate Brown in Oregon, the first openly LGBT person elected governor.