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For many—and especially many women—the results of Tuesday’s election represented a bitter disappointment. Simply put: the repudiation of a competent, supremely qualified woman for a convicted felon. It can be hard to pick your head up after a blow like that.
But the women who did triumph this week should not be forgotten, and their success against considerable odds should be a reminder that this country contains multitudes—and examples of strength, resilience, and incredible effort are all around us. Below, six examples.
Sarah McBride, Delaware’s Seat in the House of Representatives
Sarah McBride made history as the first openly transgender person elected to the US House of Representatives when she won Delaware’s sole House seat. The 34-year-old, who grew up in Wilmington (Joe Biden wrote the foreword to her 2018 memoir, of course), had previously made history when she was elected the first openly transgender state senator in the US in 2020. In that position she helped raise the minimum wage and passed paid family and medical leave. As part of her campaign this year, she pledged to improve protections for unions. Despite the historic nature of her victory, she has minimized its centrality: “I’m not running on my identity,” she told Reuters recently.
Maggie Goodlander, New Hampshire’s Second District
Maggie Goodlander leaned into her family’s history and deep political connections as she ran for New Hampshire’s Second District. Her mother, Betty Tamposi, was a Republican state representative and ran for the seat Goodlander has now won. (The campaign against Goodlander’s mother in the ’80s included the line “A woman’s place is in the home, not in the House.”) Her grandfather was also a Republican politician in the state, and her husband, Jake Sullivan, is the US national security advisor. Goodlander also made her personal struggles with reproductive rights part of her campaign, describing how she gave birth to her stillborn son in a hotel room after struggling to obtain the surgery that could have prevented that outcome. That harrowing experience, she indicated in her campaign, galvanized her efforts to seek office and represent the women struggling in a post-Roe reality.
Jasmine Crockett, Texas’s 30th District
Jasmine Crockett made waves this election season for the sharp, often alliterative critiques she leveled at everyone from Marjorie Taylor Greene to Donald Trump. But the 43-year-old representative for Texas’s 30th Congressional District has a lot more than viral fame going for her; Crockett, who currently serves on the House Agriculture and Oversight and Accountability committees, handily won reelection against her third-party opponent on Tuesday. Crockett was one of the most frequently requested Harris-Walz surrogates leading up to the 2024 election, proving that some elements of the campaign hit home with voters even as Trump ultimately won out. “I feel as if I’m finally making an impact that’s bigger than policy when I hear from these younger generations, especially women of color who can finally see themselves in government,” Crockett told Vogue in October.
Lisa Blunt Rochester, Senator for Delaware
Lisa Blunt Rochester, born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, has been elected Delaware’s first Black female senator, defeating Eric Hansen and Mike Katz. Currently serving her fourth term as congresswoman, Blunt Rochester sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, overseeing matters related to health care, energy policy, commerce, telecommunications, manufacturing, and more. She is also a co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Future of Work Task Force and the founder of the Congressional Future of Work Caucus. “It’s a blue state, but we vote blue, red, and purple,” Blunt Rochester said of Delaware during her campaign. “I am letting voters know that I want to represent everyone. If I go to the Senate, we all go.”
Angela Alsobrooks, Senator for Maryland
Angela Alsobrooks made history on election night, not only as Maryland’s first Black senator but the third-ever Black woman elected to the United States Senate. Alsobrooks, a lawyer, made a name for herself by prosecuting domestic-violence cases and cut her teeth in politics during her two terms as state attorney for Prince George’s County. She was elected as a county executive in 2018. The senator-elect fended off Republican challenger Larry Hogan and Libertarian Mike Scott to succeed Maryland’s retiring Democratic incumbent, Ben Cardin. Alsobrooks promises to defend abortion rights, saying, “My 19-year-old daughter should have at least as many rights as her mother and grandmother.”
Pamela Goodwine, Kentucky’s Supreme Court
Pamela Goodwine brings a history of firsts with her—and now adds another to her résumé as the first Black woman to serve on Kentucky’s Supreme Court and only the second Black justice in the state’s history. Additionally, her win will make the Kentucky Supreme Court a majority-female institution for the first time. Goodwine has overcome significant personal challenges over the course of her life: Raised in foster care, she gave up on a college scholarship to care for her adoptive father once he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Shortly after his death, she lost her mother in a tragic homicide. In her 20s, she developed Crohn’s disease, an experience that led to lengthy hospitalization. On the bench, she has gained a reputation for her work ethic, honesty, compassion, and fairness. Off the bench, the mother of five is known as the Jazzercise Judge—yes, she is somehow a beloved exercise instructor as well.