PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New data out of the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University shows a record number of women have been elected to Congress.
The previous record number of women in Congress has been broken, with 137 women elected.
“This beats the previous record of 127 that was set in 2019. The good news in all of this, even with races outstanding, there will be a record number of women serving in Congress come January,” said Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women in Politics at the Eagleton Institute.
The breakdown is 103 Democratic women and 34 Republican women.
Sinzdak claims one reason Democrats outpace Republican women is because of support from EMILY’s List, a political action committe founded for pro-choice women in 1985.
Jasmine Sessoms, founder and CEO of She Can Win, an organization dedicated to political parity for women, said she likes what EMILY’s List does, but it has a lot to learn about diversity.
EMILY stands for “Early Money is Like Yeast,” and Sessoms agrees with the sentiment that what can tip a race is cash.
“Money is always going to be the difference, right? In any sort of political election, cash is king. So if you’re able to get your girlfriends together and start a PAC or if you want to donate to PACs already out there, that specifically invest in women, it will make a difference in an election,” Sessoms said.
She said EMILY’s List has done a good job, but historically, it’s not a game changer for women of color running for office.
Overall, she said, each party can “do a better job of engaging women in politics, supporting women, investing in women’s campaigns.”