These are the women who made history in this year’s midterm elections

The World
Ilhan Omar clasps her husband’s mother's face in her hands as she smiles

After the midterm results are tallied, more than 100 members of Congress are expected to be women — a record.

Here are some of the women who made history this year.

US House of Representatives

Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

Rashida Tlaib is the first Palestinian American in Congress, representing Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. Tlaib was born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents. Tlaib was previously elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. (Detroit Free Press)

“I’m a different kind of public servant,” Tlaib told the Free Press, as several supporters stopped to congratulate her. “I do activism work here at home. I grew up in a community that founded the labor rights movement. So much of your representation is so disconnected with what’s happening here at home. So people are going to see that connection again. … Being there [in Congress] is going to be important so that my residents feel like they have a seat at the table but also someone with a lot of courage to stand up and speak up.”

Representative-elect Rashida Tlaib, right, poses for a photograph with US Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell smile with their arms around each other
Representative-elect Rashida Tlaib, right, poses for a photograph with US Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell at a midterm Democratic campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, US Nov. 4, 2018. Rebecca Cook/Reuters 

Ilhan Omar is the first Somali American woman elected for the US House of Representatives, representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Omar fled her native Somalia when she was 8 years old and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya. She came to the US as a 12-year-old and eventually settled in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, which has long been a first stop for new arrivals in the US. (The World)

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“So, what I often say to people is that I didn’t win because I’m Somali. I won because I’m progressive,” Omar told The World before the election. “The people in my district, in my house district and now in the congressional district, they were looking for who was the most progressive, who could represent their interests the best way. In big numbers, they made the decision that it was this Somali refugee.”

Ilhan Omar speaks at a podium with her arms held out
Ilhan Omar speaks at her election night party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Eric Miller/Reuters

Young Kim becomes the first Korean American woman to serve in Congress, representing California’s 39th District. The Republican defeated Democrat Gil Cisneros in a narrow victory. 

Only one other Korean American has ever served in Congress, Jay Kim, a Republican who represented California’s 41st district. (Yonhap)

Young Kim, the first Korean American woman elected to US Congress stands with supporters in a Facebook photo on her campaign page. 
Young Kim, the first Korean American woman elected to US Congress stands with supporters in a Facebook photo on her campaign page. Courtesy of Young Kim Campaign/Facebook 

Ayanna Pressley became Massachusetts’ first African American congresswoman, representing Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, a diverse, heavily Democratic district. (Boston Globe)

Pressley defeated 10-term incumbent Michael Capuano in the primary and sailed to victory on Tuesday unopposed.

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Representative-elect Ayanna Pressley stands behind a podium and waves to the crowd as her husband cheers behind her
Representative-elect Ayanna Pressley speaks after winning the Democratic primary in Boston, Massachusetts, US, Sept. 4, 2018Brian Snyder/Reuters 

Jahana Hayes, who was recognized as the 2016 national teacher of the year, is the first black woman to represent Connecticut in the US Congress.

Representative-elect Jahana Hayes clasps her hands with tears in her eyes
Representative-elect Jahana Hayes reacts after appearing at her midterm election night party in Waterbury, Connecticut, US Nov. 6, 2018Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters 

Native American women

Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, captured Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District. It’s the first time a Democrat has won the suburban Kansas City seat in a decade. She’s also the first openly LGBTQ person to represent the state. (The Kansas City Star)

Sharice Davids stands under trees and smiles
Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation speaks in her campaign video. Courtesy of Sharice Davids/YouTube

Debra Haaland is the second of two Native American women elected to the House. Haaland, part of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo Indian tribe, will represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. Haaland will join a delegation made up of all people of color. Her historic win, a victory by a five-term Hispanic incumbent and a too-close-to-call contest between two other minority candidates, AP reported. (US News)

Deb Haaland smiles and waves
Representative-elect Deb Haaland takes the stage after winning her midterm election in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US, Nov. 6, 2018.Brian Snyder/Reuters 

Young women

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is the youngest woman elected to Congress. A progressive Latina of Puerto Rican heritage, Ocasio-Cortez is the first person of color representing New York’s 14th Congressional District, one of the most diverse districts in the United States. Ocasio-Cortez pulled off a stunning primary upset of 19-year incumbent Joseph Crowley, a top Democrat in the House.

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Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez holds a Puerto Rico flag and smiles
Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez holds a Puerto Rico flag as she greets supporters at her midterm election night party in New York City, US Nov. 6, 2018.Andrew Kelly/Reuters 

Abby Finkenauer, 29, became one of the youngest women elected to the US House of Representatives. Finkenauer is also the first woman elected to represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Finkenauer said she decided to run after Iowa Republicans voted to dismantle collective bargaining rights, the Des Moines Register reported. “I thought, ‘This is not how we treat people in my state and in my country,'” she said. (Des Moines Register

Abby Finkenauer smiles with her hands clasped
Representative-Elect Abby Finkenauer reacts after appearing at her midterm election night party in Dubuque, Iowa, US Nov. 6, 2018.KC McGinnis/Reuters

Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, became the state’s first woman elected to the Senate in Tennessee. Blackburn, who closely allied herself with President Donald Trump, replaces retiring Sen. Bob Corker. (The Tennessean)

speaks behind a podium with her arms outstretched toward the audience
Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, US July 21, 2016Mike Segar/Reuters

Related: Tariffs are hurting Tennessee, but voters seem to be shrugging them off

Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia will be the first Latinas to represent Texas in Congress. Escobar, a Democrat, will take the seat in Texas’ 16th Congressional District that is currently held by Beto O’Rourke. Garcia, a Democrat from Houston’s 29th District, has served in the state senate for six years. (The Texas Observer)

Veronica Escobar smiles and looks to the right
Former El Paso County Judge, Veronica Escobar, reacts after winning her Democratic primary race for the 16th congressional district in El Paso, Texas, US, March 6, 2018. Picture taken March 6, 2018. Julio-Cesar Chavez/Reuters 
Sylvia Garcia speaks at a podium dressed in red in this photo from her campaign's Facebook page
Sylvia Garcia speaks at a podium in this photo from her campaign’s Facebook page.Courtesy of Sylvia Garcia/Facebook

Other races

Lou Leon Guerrero was elected as the first-ever female governor in the US territory of Guam and will be the first Democrat to serve as governor in 16 years. (VICE)

Peggy Flanagan, a Native American citizen of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, became the first woman of color to be elected to statewide office in Minnesota, as lieutenant governor. She is also the second Native American woman elected to statewide executive office in the United States. (VICE)

Peggy Flanagan stands under trees and smiles
Minnesota Lt. Governor-elect Peggy Flanagan.Waltz Flanagan for Minnesota/Facebook

Kristi Noem is the first woman to be elected governor of South Dakota. Noem, a Republican, eked out a 3-point win over Democrat Billie Sutton, the smallest margin of victory in over 30 years. (Argus Leader)

US Representative Kristi Noem stands at a podium with an American flag background
US Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD) addresses the 38th annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, Feb. 10, 2011.Larry Downing/Reuters 

Safiya Wazir has been elected to New Hampshire’s 400-member House of Representatives, making her the first former refugee to win a seat in the state Legislature. (RFE/RL)

Safiya Wazir smiles
New Hampshire state representative-elect Safiya Wazir. Steven Davy/TheWorld

Related: Immigrants have a long history of taking their issues to the people — as political candidates

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