The Women of the 116th Congress
A record number of women were elected to the U.S. House and Senate in the 2018 midterm elections.
2018 was a historic year for women in politics.
Though not all races have been decided, at least 128 women will serve in Congress come January, including non-voting delegates from Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. There will be at least 23 female senators, matching the number in 2018, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The group of women elected to the House of Representatives swelled to more than 100, shattering the record of 85 set in 2016. In total, women will hold at least 23 percent of the seats in Congress, up from 20 percent.
Though congresswomen were elected in unprecendented numbers in the 2018 midterms, women are still significantly underrepresented in Congress. Women make up nearly 51 percent of the United States population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau but they hold less than a quarter of the seats in Congress.
Here are all of the women who will serve in the 116th Congress, as of Thursday, Nov. 8.
2018 was a historic year for women in politics.
Though not all races have been decided, at least 128 women will serve in Congress come January, including non-voting delegates from Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. There will be at least 23 female senators, matching the number in 2018, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The group of women elected to the House of Representatives swelled to more than 100, shattering the record of 85 set in 2016. In total, women will hold at least 23 percent of the seats in Congress, up from 20 percent.
Though congresswomen were elected in unprecendented numbers in the 2018 midterms, women are still significantly underrepresented in Congress. Women make up nearly 51 percent of the United States population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau but they hold less than a quarter of the seats in Congress.
Here are all of the women who will serve in the 116th Congress, as of Thursday, Nov. 8.
Martha Roby
Republican, Alabama’s 2nd District
Terri Sewell
Democrat, Alabama’s 7th District
Lisa Murkowski
Republican, Senator from Alaska
Kyrsten Sinema
Democrat, Senator from Arizona
Sinema is the first openly bisexual person elected to the U.S. Senate.
Ann L. Kirkpatrick
Democrat, Arizona’s 2nd District
Debbie Lesko
Republican, Arizona’s 8th District
Dianne Feinstein
Democrat, Senator from California
Kamala Harris
Democrat, Senator from California
Doris Matsui
Democrat, California’s 6th District
Nancy Pelosi
Democrat, California’s 12th District
Barbara Lee
Democrat, California’s 13th District
Jackie Speier
Democrat, California's 14th District
Anna Eshoo
Democrat, California’s 18th District
Zoe Lofgren
Democrat, California’s 19th District
Katie Hill
Democrat, California’s 25th District
Julia Brownley
Democrat, California’s 26th District
Judy Chu
Democrat, California’s 27th District
Grace Napolitano
Democrat, California’s 32nd District
Norma Torres
Democrat, California’s 35th District
Karen Bass
Democrat, California’s 36th District
Linda Sanchéz
Democrat, California’s 38th District
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Democrat, California’s 40th District
Maxine Waters
Democrat, California’s 43rd District
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Democrat, California’s 44th District
Susan Davis
Democrat, California’s 53rd District
Diana DeGette
Democrat, Colorado’s 1st District
Rosa DeLauro
Democrat, Connecticut's 3rd District
Jahana Hayes
Democrat, Connecticut’s 5th District
Hayes is the first black congresswoman from Connecticut.
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Democrat, Delaware At Large
Stephanie Murphy
Democrat, Florida’s 7th District
Val Demings
Democrat, Florida’s 10th District
Kathy Castor
Democrat, Florida’s 14th District
Lois Frankel
Democrat, Florida’s 21st District
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Democrat, Florida’s 23rd District
Frederica Wilson
Democrat, Florida’s 24th District
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Democrat, Florida’s 26th District
Donna Shalala
Democrat, Florida’s 27th District
Lucy McBath
Democrat, Georgia’s 6th District
Mazie Hirono
Democrat, Senator from Hawai’i
Tulsi Gabbard
Democrat, Hawai’i’s 2nd District
Gabbard, who has represented Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2012, is the first Hindu member of Congress.
Joni Ernst
Republican, Senator from Iowa
Abby Finkenauer
Democrat, Iowa’s 1st District
Finkenauer is the first female representative from Iowa, a title she shares with Cindy Axne.
Cindy Axne
Democrat, Iowa’s 3rd District
Axne is the first female representative from Iowa, a title she shares with Abby Finkenauer.
Tammy Duckworth
Democrat, Senator from Illinois
Robin Kelly
Democrat, Illinois’ 2nd District
Jan Schakowsky
Democrat, Illinois’ 9th District
Lauren Underwood
Democrat, Illinois’ 14th District
Cheri Bustos
Democrat, Illinois’ 17th District
Jackie Walorski
Republican, Indiana’s 2nd District
Susan Brooks
Republican, Indiana’s 5th District
Sharice Davids
Democrat, Kansas’ 3rd District
Davids is the first Native American woman elected to Congress, an accomplishment she shares with Deb Haaland of New Mexico. Davids is also the first openly gay lawmaker Kansas has elected to federal office.
Elizabeth Warren
Democrat, Senator from Massachusetts
Lori Trahan
Democrat, Massachusetts’ 3rd District
Katherine Clark
Democrat, Massachusetts’ 5th District
Ayanna Pressley
Democrat, Massachusetts’ 7th District
Pressley is the first black congresswoman from Massachusetts.
Susan Collins
Republican, Senator from Maine
Chellie Pingree
Democrat, Maine’s 1st District
Debbie Stabenow
Democrat, Senator from Michigan
Elissa Slotkin
Democrat, Michigan’s 8th District
Haley Stevens
Democrat, Michigan’s 11th District
Debbie Dingell
Democrat, Michigan’s 12th District
Rashida Tlaib
Democrat, Michigan’s 13th District
Tlaib is the first Muslim woman elected to congress, a title she shares with Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar.
Brenda Lawrence
Democrat, Michigan’s 14th District
Amy Klobuchar
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Senator from Minnesota
Tina Smith
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Senator from Minnesota
Smith won in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Al Franken.
Angela Craig
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota’s 2nd District
Betty McCollum
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota’s 4th District
Ilhan Omar
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota’s 5th District
Omar is the first Muslim woman elected to Congress, a title she shares with Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib.
Ann Wagner
Republican, Missouri’s 2nd District
Vicky Jo Hartzler
Republican, Missouri’s 4th District
Virginia A. Foxx
Republican, North Carolina’s 5th District
Alma Adams
Democrat, North Carolina’s 12th District
Deb Fischer
Republican, Senator from Nebraska
Jeanne Shaheen
Democrat, Senator from New Hampshire
Maggie Hassan
Democrat, Senator from New Hampshire
Annie McLane Kuster
Democrat, New Hampshire’s 2nd District
Mikie Sherrill
Democrat, New Jersey’s 11th District
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Democrat, New Jersey’s 12th District
Deb Haaland
Democrat, New Mexico’s 1st District
Haaland is the first Native American congresswoman, a title she shares with Kansas’ Sharice Davids.
Xochitl Torres Small
Democrat, New Mexico’s 2nd District
Jacky Rosen
Democrat, Senator from Nevada
Catherine Cortez Masto
Democrat, Senator from Nevada
Dina Titus
Democrat, Nevada’s 1st District
Susie Lee
Democrat, Nevada’s 3rd District
Kirsten Gillibrand
Democrat, Senator from New York
Kathleen Rice
Democrat, New York’s 4th District
Grace Meng
Democrat, New York’s 6th District
Nydia Velazquez
Democrat, New York’s 7th District
Yvette Clarke
Democrat, New York’s 9th District
Carolyn Maloney
Democrat, New York’s 12th District
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Democrat, New York’s 14th District
At 29 years old, Ocasio-Cortez will be the youngest person in the 116th Congress.
Nita Lowey
Democrat, New York’s 17th District
Elise Stefanik
Republican, New York’s 21st District
Joyce Beatty
Democrat, Ohio’s 3rd District
Marcy Kaptur
Democrat, Ohio’s 9th District
Marcia Fudge
Democrat, Ohio’s 11th District
Kendra Horn
Democrat, Oklahoma’s 5th District
Suzanne Bonamici
Democrat, Oregon’s 1st District
Madeleine Dean
Democrat, Pennsylvania's 4th District
Mary Gay Scanlon
Democrat, Pennsylvania’s 5th District
Chrissy Houlahan
Democrat, Pennsylvania’s 6th District
Susan Ellis Wild
Democrat, Pennsylvania’s 7th District
Marsha Blackburn
Republican, Senator from Tennessee
Lizzie Pannill Fletcher
Democrat, Texas’ 7th District
Kay Granger
Republican, Texas’ 12th District
Veronica Escobar
Democrat, Texas’ 16th District
Escobar is the first Latina congresswoman from Texas, a title she shares with Sylvia Garcia.
Sheila Jackson Lee
Democrat, Texas’ 18th District
Sylvia Garcia
Democrat, Texas’ 29th District
Garcia is the first Latina congresswoman from Texas, a title she shares with Veronica Escobar.
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Democrat, Texas’ 30th District
Elaine Luria
Democrat, Virginia’s 2nd District
Abigail Spanberger
Democrat, Virginia’s 7th District
Jennifer Wexton
Democrat, Virginia’s 10th District
Maria Cantwell
Democrat, Senator from Washington
Patty Murray
Democrat, Senator from Washington
Suzan DelBene
Democrat, Washington’s 1st District
Jaime Herrera Beutler
Republican, Washington’s 3rd District
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Republican, Washington’s 5th District
Pramila Jayapal
Democrat, Washington’s 7th District
Kim Schrier
Democrat, Washington’s 8th District
Tammy Baldwin
Democrat, Senator from Wisconsin
Baldwin became the first ever woman senator to represent Wisconsin in 2012. She is also first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate.
Gwen Moore
Democrat, Wisconsin’s 4th District
Shelley Moore Capito
Republican, Senator from West Virginia
Carol Miller
Republican, West Virginia’s 3rd District
Liz Cheney
Republican, Wyoming At Large
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Democrat, Delegate from Washington, D.C.
Stacey Plaskett
Democrat, Delegate from the Virgin Islands
Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen
Republican, Delegate from American Samoa
Jenniffer González
Republican/New Progressive Party, Delegate from Puerto Rico
Claire Hansen, Staff Writer
Claire Hansen is a reporter at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter and emai... Read moreClaire Hansen is a reporter at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter and email her at chansen@usnews.com.
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