Michigan’s Pink Wave

On Tuesday, women made history across our great state and throughout the country, as 2018 proved to be the “Year of the Woman.”

For the first time ever, women won every statewide race in Michigan, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Secretary of State Joselyn Benson, and Supreme Court Justices Elizabeth Clement and Megan Cavanagh.

For the first time ever, it is anticipated that at least 100 women will be elected to the United States House of Representatives.

But it wasn’t just women who broke barriers on Tuesday.  It was diverse women who broke those barriers.   Women of color.  LGBTQ women.  Young women.   Religiously diverse women. 

Women Who Shattered Glass Ceilings

Rashida Tlaib from Michigan and Ilhan Omar from Minnesota became the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress.  

Sharice Davids from Kansas and Deb Haaland from New Mexico became the first Native American women elected to Congress.  

Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes fromConnecticut became the first black women elected to Congress from their respective states.

Young Kim from California will be the first Korean-American Congresswoman.

Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia, both from Texas, became the first Hispanic women to be elected to Congress from that state.

Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne from Iowa are the first women in the U.S. House of Representatives in that state.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez form New York became the youngest woman elected to Congress.

Marsha Blackburn became the first female senator to represent Tennessee.  Arizona will also elect its first female senator, although the race between the two front running women is still too close to call.

Kristi Noem from South Dakoka and Janet Mills from Mainebecame the first female governors of their respective states.

Dana Nessel became Michigan’s first openly gay person to win a statewide election in Michigan as Attorney General.  In addition to being the first Native American woman, Sharice Davids from Kansas, and Susan Ruiz also from Kansas, became the first LGBTQ women to be elected to that state’s legislature.  Angie Craig from Minnesota became the first openly gay person elected to Congress from that state.  Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker became the first transgender women to be elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.  

WLAM endorsed candidates

WLAM congratulates all of the WLAM endorsed judicial candidates who won election on Tuesday as well, including:

Megan Kathleen Cavanagh, Michigan Supreme Court
*Hon. Elizabeth Clement, Michigan Supreme Court
*Julie Gatti, 16th Circuit Court
Tracy Green, 3rd Circuit Court
*Hon. Alexis G. Krot, 31st District Court
*Hon. Debra Nance, 46th District Court

*denotes WLAM member

 

Donna M. MacKenzie

President, Women Lawyers Association

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