Pink Wave: New Record of Women's Participation in US Elections

The number of women participating in elections across the United States has reached a new record, making the upcoming general and state elections in November more significant. On November 6, voting will take place for 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 seats in the Senate, as well as gubernatorial positions in 33 states and legislative assemblies in most states. According to statistics from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, the number of female candidates in this election is significantly higher than in previous years. 239 women are running for the House of Representatives and 23 for the Senate. This figure does not include women who participated in intra-party competitions to select candidates for the Democratic or Republican parties in recent months. Although the number of female candidates has increased in both parties, the rise in participation among Democratic women is much greater. The number of female candidates in the Democratic Party exceeds the total number of female candidates who participated in the 2014 elections. Jean Sinzdak from the Center for American Women and Politics states, "There is no doubt that this year is a new record. The number of women participating in elections is higher than in any other year in the past." In the state legislative elections, which will take place in 46 states, 3,381 women have registered as candidates, a significant increase from the 2,649 in the 2016 elections. Similar to congressional elections, most female candidates in this case are from the Democratic Party. Sinzdak notes that women's enthusiasm can be seen in other areas related to political competition. More women across the country have registered to learn about campaigning and the related laws and regulations. There is also a noticeable increase in women's active participation in fundraising. According to statistics from a political research institute, in the primary races for the House of Representatives, women have preferred Democratic candidates, especially female Democratic candidates, over Republicans. Experts on the financial aspects of campaigns indicate that in the primaries, even within the Republican Party, the amount of fundraising collected by women has surpassed that of men, reflecting women's public enthusiasm in 2018. Sinzdak states that the increase in the number of female candidates in this year's elections has led to a rise in the number and diversity of political and advertising campaigns. She adds that female candidates have positioned themselves independently of "traditional molds," discussing issues such as their experiences with sexual harassment, motherhood, and its positive impact on responsible decision-making. A new survey by the Pew Research Center, released in August, showed that a majority of Americans believe that increased female presence in legislative and executive bodies is a positive development. The significant increase in the number of female candidates has multiple reasons, one of which is the rise of Donald Trump to power. During the 2016 election campaign, a video from 2005 surfaced in which Donald Trump boasted about groping women without their consent. Trump won by defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The day after Trump's official inauguration on January 20, 2017, millions, mostly women, participated in widespread protests against him in Washington and other cities across the U.S. Sinzdak states that the "Me Too" movement, in which female stars and others have exposed sexual harassment by powerful men, has encouraged more active female participation in U.S. politics. As a result of the revelations from this movement, many politicians, media moguls, Hollywood producers, stars, and others have been forced to resign or were fired, and some have faced trials. According to Sinzdak, other events, including the controversial decision by the Trump administration to separate immigrant children from their families at the U.S. border, have led to more active female participation in politics. One recent event was the Senate Judiciary Committee's examination of Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court. Given the Republican control of the Senate, there was little doubt about Kavanaugh's confirmation until a woman named Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor, accused him of sexual assault over 30 years ago when they were both teenagers. In a special session of the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 23, both Ford and Kavanaugh, who vehemently denied the accusation, testified. Millions of Americans watched the televised session. Sinzdak states, "All of these events have created a political-cultural movement centered on women's frustration with how men in power behave towards them." The Senate hearing for Kavanaugh's nomination was reminiscent of a similar process that occurred 27 years ago, when the nomination of Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court was overshadowed by sexual harassment allegations made by Anita Hill, a former colleague of Thomas. This event also captured public attention across the U.S. A year after that event, the number of women running in local and national elections and the number of female senators significantly increased. That year, 1992, became known in public discourse as the "Year of the Woman."