‘We Call Ourselves the Badasses’:
Meet the New Women of Congress

Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ)
Katie Porter (D-CA)
Katie Hill (D-CA)
Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL)
Donna Shalala (D-FL)
Lucy McBath (D-GA)
Lauren Underwood (D-IL)
Abby Finkenauer (D-IA)
Cindy Axne (D-IA)
Debra Haaland (D-NM)
Sharice Davids (D-KS)
Lori Trahan (D-MA)
Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
Haley Stevens (D-MI)
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
Angie Craig (D-MN)
Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
Susie Lee (D-NV)
Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)
Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
Kendra Horn (D-OK)
Madeleine Dean (D-PA)
Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)
Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)
Susan Wild (D-PA)
Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX)
Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
Elaine Luria (D-VA)
Abigail Spanberger (D-VA)
Jennifer Wexton (D-VA)
Kim Schrier (D-WA)
Carol Miller (R-WV)

The history-making class of new women on Capitol Hill is here, and its members have a lot to say.

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When millions of women took to the streets the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration for the largest single-day protest in American history, they were galvanized by a frustration with our nation’s politics and culture. Two years later, that energy and anger have been translated into an unprecedented number of electoral victories for women—mostly Democratic—in the recent midterm elections.

When 27 new women were ushered into the House and Senate in 1992, pundits deemed it the “Year of the Woman.” In 2018, that record was shattered, and now, for the first time ever, more than 100 women have been sworn in to the House of Representatives, just over a century after the first woman was sworn in to Congress in 1917.

POLITICO Magazine recently photographed and interviewed all 36 freshman women in the 116th Congress. In addition to being the youngest and most diverse freshman class Capitol Hill has ever seen, the group includes a number of state and national firsts—from the first Muslim women to the first Native American women. Not that they’re bragging about it. “None of us ran to be the first anything,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) told POLITICO. “We ran to make a difference. We ran to make change. It’s nice to make history, too, but that’s not why we ran.”

The new members range from the youngest-ever women in Congress—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) were both 29 when elected—to experienced pols such as Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), who previously served in the 111th, 113th and 114th sessions, and former Clinton Cabinet secretary Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), who at 77 is the oldest female freshman representative in history.

Some of these women—like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who recently told supporters, “We’re gonna impeach the motherfucker”—have already come out swinging against the president. Others told POLITICO that they’re hopeful the influx of women will lead to a more cooperative and bipartisan legislature. They all, however, seem to hope and believe that their presence will fundamentally change how Washington works. And they’ve already begun.


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Ann Kirkpatrick

Democrat, Arizona 02

“I was here in 2009 when we passed the ACA. I was told I would lose my next election if I voted for it, but it was the right thing to do, and I did lose my next election. I came back in 2012 and 2014, ran for Senate in 2016 [and lost], and I didn’t think I was going to run for office again. But when the Republicans voted for their bill that would have kicked 20 million people back off of health care, I said: ‘I’ve fought too hard. I’ve paid the price for this. I’m going to run.’”

Katie
Hill

Democrat, California 25

“This class seems to be unafraid and willing to shake things up and do things differently, but what I’m most excited about is that, with this class, we have an opportunity to not just make policy change but to truly change the culture in Washington.”
“This class seems to be unafraid and willing to shake things up and do things differently, but what I’m most excited about is that, with this class, we have an opportunity to not just make policy change but to truly change the culture in Washington.”

Katie
Porter

Democrat, California 45

“Women think often about power differently. They have more of a sense of collective power, of the way in which we empower each other. And so we’re less willing to take credit, but we’re also less willing to point fingers.”
“Women think often about power differently. They have more of a sense of collective power, of the way in which we empower each other. And so we’re less willing to take credit, but we’re also less willing to point fingers.”

Rep. Katie Hill, with Rep. Joe Neguse, was elected to the junior leadership position of representative of the freshman class.


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Jahana Hayes

Democrat, Connecticut 05

“With us at the table, Congress will be forced to remember that it’s not just about line items and budgets, but about how these things impact people’s lives.”

Rep. Jahana Hayes is the first African-American woman elected to Congress from Connecticut.


Debbie
Mucarsel-Powell

Democrat, Florida 26

“Congress has been set on certain bureaucracies, rules and policies that haven’t been changing with the times. There are some structural changes that we need to look at, but it’s not going to happen overnight, and I’m very pragmatic and very practical about that.”

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who was born in Ecuador, is the first Hispanic member of Congress from South America.


Donna Shalala

Democrat, Florida 27

“When you put women into the mix and you don’t ignore half the population, it does make a difference in the quality of legislation—how we think about improving people’s lives, our passion for getting it done and probably our no-nonsense approach.”

Rep. Donna Shalala, 77, a former secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration, is the second-oldest House freshman ever and the oldest female freshman representative.


Lucy McBath

Democrat, Georgia 06

“I hope that we can break down the walls, the barriers, and find solutions for the people that we represent. As you see, when we don’t do that, people suffer. They’re hurting. And that’s not the role of government.”

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Lauren Underwood

Democrat, Illinois 14

“It’s very clear that, for a long time, decisions being made in our country were a result of one point of view. Now, we have different voices, and we’re representing people whose stories and concerns have not been heard in Congress, so that’s going to be a tremendous change.”

Rep. Lauren Underwood, 32, is the youngest African-American woman elected to Congress.


Abby
Finkenauer

Democrat, Iowa 01

“We were promised: You work hard, you can make it. And unfortunately that promise has seemed to be broken in America. That’s what’s on the line here, and that’s the kind of perspective that I want to make sure we are talking about and we’re bringing up.”
“We were promised: You work hard, you can make it. And unfortunately that promise has seemed to be broken in America. That’s what’s on the line here, and that’s the kind of perspective that I want to make sure we are talking about and we’re bringing up.”

Cindy
Axne

Democrat, Iowa 03

“It’s important that a Democratic Midwest voice is heard. The heartland issues in our rural communities in particular need to take priority or a lot of the economic growth in this country will falter. We really rely on our small towns much more so than people think.”
“It’s important that a Democratic Midwest voice is heard. The heartland issues in our rural communities in particular need to take priority or a lot of the economic growth in this country will falter. We really rely on our small towns much more so than people think.”

Rep. Abby Finkenauer, the second-youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and Rep. Cindy Axne are the first women elected to the House of Representatives from Iowa.


Sharice Davids & Debra Haaland

Democrat, Kansas 03 | Democrat, New Mexico 01

“I think the real effects of what happened this election cycle will not be seen until generations from now, because this is the beginning of a resetting of expectations about who runs for office, why they run for office and where they run for office from.” –Davids
“I know what it’s like to be on food stamps, what it’s like to teach my daughter to ride the public bus, what it’s like to piece together health care. I think when you’ve lived struggle, you can identify more with the struggles of average Americans.” –Haaland

Reps. Sharice Davids (left) and Debra Haaland are the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Davids is also the first LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Kansas.


Lori
Trahan

Democrat, Massachusetts 03

“As the only female executive at a high-tech company and someone who’s worked hard on getting more women leaders into corporate boardrooms, I know that the conversation changes when you have more women at the table.”
“As the only female executive at a high-tech company and someone who’s worked hard on getting more women leaders into corporate boardrooms, I know that the conversation changes when you have more women at the table.”

Ayanna
Pressley

Democrat, Massachusetts 07

“These times require activist leadership. The job description for Congress has changed, and I believe I can bring that brand of leadership—activist leadership—in sort of navigating this new dichotomy of how to resist and how to progress at the same time.”
“These times require activist leadership. The job description for Congress has changed, and I believe I can bring that brand of leadership—activist leadership—in sort of navigating this new dichotomy of how to resist and how to progress at the same time.”

Rep. Ayanna Pressley is the first African-American woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts.


Elissa
Slotkin

Democrat, Michigan 08

“I’ve worked for both Democrats and Republicans—in the Bush and the Obama administrations—so I’ve seen my commander in chief under both parties, and I just felt the tone and tenor coming out of Washington now was fundamentally different and unbecoming of the country that I served and love.”
“I’ve worked for both Democrats and Republicans—in the Bush and the Obama administrations—so I’ve seen my commander in chief under both parties, and I just felt the tone and tenor coming out of Washington now was fundamentally different and unbecoming of the country that I served and love.”

Haley
Stevens

Democrat, Michigan 11

“We have so much talking at each other in politics but not enough speaking with and among each other. We have to open the halls of this body and these offices, bring in new voices, collaborate and form unlikely alliances so that we can answer some of our largest challenges.”
“We have so much talking at each other in politics but not enough speaking with and among each other. We have to open the halls of this body and these offices, bring in new voices, collaborate and form unlikely alliances so that we can answer some of our largest challenges.”

Rep. Elissa Slotkin is a former CIA analyst. Rep. Haley Stevens was elected co-president, with Rep. Colin Allred, of the freshman class of House Democrats.


Rashida Tlaib

Democrat, Michigan 13

“It brings me a lot of hope that many of us don’t represent communities that have the same faith or ethnicity or background as us. What makes the story even more incredibly inspiring is the fact that it was American people that didn’t share our faith that made history.”

Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Tlaib is also the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress.


Angie Craig

Democrat, Minnesota 02

“Though we may have a lot of firsts by our names, what really distinguishes this group of women is how dedicated to fighting for our constituents we are.”

Rep. Angie Craig is the first lesbian mother elected to Congress and the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Minnesota.


Ilhan Omar

Democrat, Minnesota 05

“Most of us ran really strong grassroots campaigns, and for the first time, Congress will have people who have true fluency in the day-to-day struggles of the people it seeks to represent. I know that will lead to transformative change.”

Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Omar, a refugee, is also the first Somali-American elected to Congress.


Susie Lee

Democrat, Nevada 03

“Sometimes reform of Congress is a generational thing, and I think that this generation is craving some changes here in Washington.”

Mikie
Sherrill

Democrat, New Jersey 11

“Coming from the military, knowing how to build bridges, knowing how to move forward with people from various backgrounds with different ideas on how to get the job done is a comfortable place for us. I think we’ll be able to utilize those skills to get good bipartisan legislation passed.”
“Coming from the military, knowing how to build bridges, knowing how to move forward with people from various backgrounds with different ideas on how to get the job done is a comfortable place for us. I think we’ll be able to utilize those skills to get good bipartisan legislation passed.”

Xochitl
Torres Small

Democrat, New Mexico 02

“I was looking for the right person who would do a good job to represent my community, and there was this time I was creating a list of names when I just came to the powerful conclusion that maybe the person who’s supposed to be doing this job is me.”
“I was looking for the right person who would do a good job to represent my community, and there was this time I was creating a list of names when I just came to the powerful conclusion that maybe the person who’s supposed to be doing this job is me.”

Rep. Mikie Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot.


Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez

Democrat, New York 14

“The idea that a freshman member could come in and be effective by doing things differently was just so cynically dismissed for so long. … What’s so exciting is not just the firsts, not just the identities, not just the diversity, but the energy that all these freshmen bring.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.


Kendra
Horn

Democrat, Oklahoma 05

“Representation matters, because when we have representatives that look more like our communities, we get better policy. I hope—and think we do—bring a new way of doing things and a willingness to work together and have the difficult conversations to solve the really challenging problems that face us.”
“Representation matters, because when we have representatives that look more like our communities, we get better policy. I hope—and think we do—bring a new way of doing things and a willingness to work together and have the difficult conversations to solve the really challenging problems that face us.”

Madeleine
Dean

Democrat, Pennsylvania 04

“I want to change the dialogue, be a part of decency and civility and bipartisan problem-solving. From my background as a professor of writing, I care about words and language and how we make our arguments; we should make arguments to lift things up, not to tear things down.”
“I want to change the dialogue, be a part of decency and civility and bipartisan problem-solving. From my background as a professor of writing, I care about words and language and how we make our arguments; we should make arguments to lift things up, not to tear things down.”

Mary Gay Scanlon

Democrat, Pennsylvania 05

“There may be a divided Congress, but I think there was a very clear message from voters: They’re tired of gridlock, and they want Congress to actually legislate and to fulfill its duty to act as a check and balance, not to enable the other branches of our government.”
“There may be a divided Congress, but I think there was a very clear message from voters: They’re tired of gridlock, and they want Congress to actually legislate and to fulfill its duty to act as a check and balance, not to enable the other branches of our government.”

Susan
Wild

Democrat, Pennsylvania 07

“I believe that women—whether it’s in our DNA or a learned behavior—are natural facilitators. We spend our lifetime in our families solving problems, at least those of us who are mothers. And I think that maternal instinct will hopefully operate to help us work for the common good.”
“I believe that women—whether it’s in our DNA or a learned behavior—are natural facilitators. We spend our lifetime in our families solving problems, at least those of us who are mothers. And I think that maternal instinct will hopefully operate to help us work for the common good.”

Chrissy Houlahan

Democrat, Pennsylvania 06

“I think that veterans—and women in particular—have a heritage of team-building, collaboration and pragmatism that I think is really needed right now when we’re a very, very divided nation. I’m hopeful that we’ll bring a fresh set of legs into what is kind of a dysfunctional environment.”

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan is a former Air Force officer. “We call ourselves the badasses,” she said to POLITICO Magazine of the five former servicewomen in this freshman class.


Lizzie Pannill Fletcher

Democrat, Texas 07

“We want a government that functions all the time and that has a process for dealing with disagreement. … Find the places where we agree and move forward on those, and find the places where we disagree and dig in, debate and come to some kind of consensus or resolution.”

Veronica
Escobar

Democrat, Texas 16

“We really have to get the country back on track in many respects. There’s so much at stake with climate change, immigration, health care. We’ve got to focus on those issues that are critical to our constituents and the American public, and we’ve got to drown out the noise and negativity so that we can get work done.”
“We really have to get the country back on track in many respects. There’s so much at stake with climate change, immigration, health care. We’ve got to focus on those issues that are critical to our constituents and the American public, and we’ve got to drown out the noise and negativity so that we can get work done.”

Sylvia
Garcia

Democrat, Texas 29

“The good news is this Congress will be the first of more to come. The goal would be for two more Latinas to come from Texas, for New Mexico to send another Native American woman, and to make sure more women—especially women of color—continue to have a seat at the table.”
“The good news is this Congress will be the first of more to come. The goal would be for two more Latinas to come from Texas, for New Mexico to send another Native American woman, and to make sure more women—especially women of color—continue to have a seat at the table.”

Reps. Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia are the first Latinas elected to Congress from Texas.


Elaine
Luria

Democrat, Virginia 02

“The military is very nonpartisan. I never turned to the sailor next to me and said, ‘Are you a Democrat or a Republican?’ Everyone comes together to accomplish a mission, so that inherent willingness to work with and listen to everyone is something that we bring to this position.”
“The military is very nonpartisan. I never turned to the sailor next to me and said, ‘Are you a Democrat or a Republican?’ Everyone comes together to accomplish a mission, so that inherent willingness to work with and listen to everyone is something that we bring to this position.”

Abigail
Spanberger

Democrat, Virginia 07

“I love the fact that we have former business leaders, nonprofit leaders, helicopter pilots and Navy commanders—oh, and P.S., they’re all women. If you look at just who all of these people are, it's an incredible group. The cherry on top is that they’re all women.”
“I love the fact that we have former business leaders, nonprofit leaders, helicopter pilots and Navy commanders—oh, and P.S., they’re all women. If you look at just who all of these people are, it's an incredible group. The cherry on top is that they’re all women.”

Rep. Elaine Luria is a former Navy officer and commander.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger is a former CIA operations officer.


Jennifer
Wexton

Democrat, Virginia 10

“Seeing young women and girls and how excited they were during my race and all these other races, that now they have role models they can look at it in Congress and know, ‘I can do that, too’—that’s something that is going to last for many generations to come.”
“Seeing young women and girls and how excited they were during my race and all these other races, that now they have role models they can look at it in Congress and know, ‘I can do that, too’—that’s something that is going to last for many generations to come.”

Kim
Schrier

Democrat, Washington 08

“I don’t think any of us knew we’d be a wave. We all independently made the same calculation that this isn’t the country we want for our children, and we can’t trust anybody else to do it for us, so we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get involved.”
“I don’t think any of us knew we’d be a wave. We all independently made the same calculation that this isn’t the country we want for our children, and we can’t trust anybody else to do it for us, so we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get involved.”

Carol Miller

Republican, West Virginia 03

“Women hold so many positions—as wives and mothers and fully employed—that it takes a special woman who’s willing to go out of that zone, so to speak, to step into public service. Because when you do, your life is never the same.”

Rep. Carol Miller is the only new Republican woman elected to Congress in the midterms. Though multiple Republican women were recently elected or appointed to the Senate, they had all served in the previous session.

Shot at the Harvard Kennedy School in December and the U.S. Capitol in January. Produced by Katie Ellsworth, Megan McCrink, Janet Michaud and Lily Mihalik. Hair and makeup by Maryelle O’Rourke and Kim Reyes. Video by Brooke Minters, Mary Newman, Ali Rizvi and Martin Del Vecchio. Special thanks to Matt DeBruycker, Jemima Grow, Jeff Kent, Asia Kepka, Jonathan Kozowyk and Audrey Lew.


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