The New York Times published an article claiming that “Republican women” were not a part of the “banner year for female candidates” in the 2018 elections — but they missed at least six glass ceilings, shattered handily by female Republican candidates in six different states.
The NYT piece, titled “Banner Year For Female Candidates Doesn’t Extend To Republican Women,” appeared to focus solely on the numbers — and it is true that in January of 2019, Democrats will send more women (at least 105) to Capitol Hill than Republicans (at least 19).
With a few races still undecided, the new Congress will have at least 105 Democratic women and 19 Republican women https://t.co/zcyrrFQMhf
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 15, 2018
But it left out entirely a few key accomplishments achieved by Republican women.
Marsha Blackburn
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn defeated Phil Bredesen, the popular former governor of Tennessee, to become the first female senator to represent the Volunteer State.
Blackburn was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who campaigned with and for her on several occasions. Bredesen, who received a rare endorsement from singer Taylor Swift, was plagued at the end of his campaign by an undercover video released by Project Veritas.
Kay Ivey
Kay Ivey became the first woman to be elected governor in the state of Alabama. Ivey was elected as the state’s lieutenant governor in 2010 and served in that capacity from 2011–2017.
She was sworn in to take the place of resigning Gov. Robert Bentley in April of 2017 and was elected in her own right on Nov. 6.
Kim Reynolds
Kim Reynolds, who also served the remainder of her predecessor’s term as governor — Terry Branstad was appointed by the Trump administration to serve as ambassador to China — became the first woman to be elected governor in the state of Iowa.
Prior to assuming the role of governor in 2017, Reynolds had served as the state’s lieutenant governor since 2011. (RELATED: China Can’t Make Up Its Mind On Trump)
Kristi Noem
Kristi Noem, who previously served as a congresswoman from her home state of South Dakota, was elected its first female governor. Noem was able to hold off a tough challenge from state Sen. Billie Sutton, who campaigned on a moderate pro-second amendment and anti-abortion platform.
“If Billie believed everything that he said in this campaign, he’d be a Republican,” Noem joked about her opponent.
Jeanette Nuñez
Jeanette Nuñez was the running mate to embattled Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis — whose declared victory is still being contested and subject to a recount. After Tuesday’s election, Nuñez didn’t just become Florida’s first Latina lieutenant governor — she also became the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in Florida state history. (RELATED: Report: Palm Beach Recount Is Missing A ‘Substantial’ Number Of Votes)
Janice McGeachin
Thank you to all my supporters who believe that ‘Making America Great Again Begins In Idaho!’#JoinJanice #idgop #idpol #maga #ElectionDay #Election2018 pic.twitter.com/5nuq3AiN4E
— Janice McGeachin (@JaniceMcGeachin) May 15, 2018
Janice McGeachin (pronounced “mc-gee-in”) was elected last Tuesday to be the first female lieutenant governor from the state of Idaho.
From 2002–2012, McGeachin served in the Idaho State House, representing the 32nd district. She did not seek re-election in 2012 but served as a delegate for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
Honorable mention: Young Kim
If California Republican candidate Young Kim is able to hold on to her slim lead, she will become the first Korean-American woman to serve in Congress.