Many glass ceilings shattered for the first time in New York. Groundbreaking women like Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, and Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to serve as a major party vice-presidential nominee, hailed from Brooklyn and Queens, respectively. In light of the 2018 Midterm Election, widely dubbed the “Year of the Woman,” the political sphere has focused on the record numbers of women who will be sworn into elected office this year, and the historical firsts many women of color achieved this year by winning nominations, picking up seats at the local and national level, and even changing the way women run for office.
With so many important races in 2018, from state senate, to congressional races, to governorships, there was a lot on the table this year, and women increased their representation in nearly all possible fields. However, with much of the focus on taking back the house and fueling a blue wave, we must not overlook what the 2018 midterms looked like for New York women. Understanding the demographics of who is representing New Yorkers at the local, state, and federal level is critical, so I’ll be breaking down what this year’s election cycle looked like for women in NY, highlighting a few key women who changed the game in this year’s election cycle, and discussing how our city and state still has a long way to go to reach gender parity in government.
More Firsts for NY Women
2018 proved to be another year for New York women to take the national stage and garner more “firsts.” The most notable “first” of this year is easily the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old from the Bronx, who gained national notoriety by defeating near 20-year incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary. Come January, Ocasio-Cortez will be the youngest woman in congress ever, trailed only slightly by a fellow New Yorker, Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21). In just four months, Ocasio-Cortez has become a national icon for a more representative government of working-class people, women, people of color, and Democratic Socialists. She has 1.53 million followers on Twitter, the same number as Senator Chuck Schumer, and she hasn’t even been sworn in yet.
At the state level, former New York City Public Advocate Letitia James will head from City Hall to Albany, as she was elected to be the first African-American and first woman to serve as Attorney General of New York. For the last four years, James has made waves as the first Black woman to hold citywide office, and she is sure to shake things up in Albany as well when she assumes the role of AG in January.
By the Numbers: Women Carried the “Blue Wave” to Flip the NYS Senate
Despite being a notoriously blue state, hitherto the New York State Senate has been controlled by Republicans since World War II, with the exception of only three years. With national energy geared towards flipping the US House of Representatives blue, New York also funneled energy into also flipping the state senate blue, and taking down the IDC (a group of senators who identified as Democrats but caucused with Republicans, thereby blocking progressive legislation). And women candidates lead this effort. In January, 10 more women will head to Albany this year, increasing the total number of women in the New York State legislature from 60 to 70, out of 235 total seats. Many of whom include first time candidates who took down male incumbents, like Alessandra Biaggi, a 32-year-old who took down State Senator Jeff Klein in the Democratic primary. The end of Klein’s tenure, the leader of the IDC and a 23-year incumbent, was instrumental in gaining Democratic control of the Senate.
Source: City & State NY
Not All Heroes Wear Capes – the Mom Who Changed Campaign Finance for Parent Candidates
She may not be heading to Washington this legislative cycle, but Liuba Grechen-Shirley ran a campaign which changed campaign finance in the US. Grechen-Shirley, who ran against 26-year Republican incumbent Peter King for a congressional seat on Long Island, was granted approval by the Federal Election Commission to use campaign funds to pay for childcare services. As the first mother-candidate ever to get this kind of approval, her actions garnered national attention and support from legislators, including Hillary Clinton, who sent a letter to the FEC in support of Grechen-Shirley’s request. Grechen-Shirley’s actions translated into legislation in NYC nearly immediately; weeks after the FEC issued its ruling, City Council Members Keith Powers and Laurie Cumbo introduced legislation allowing NYC Council candidates to use campaign funds for childcare. This law passed in the City Council on October 31, 2018 with 48/51 council members voting in favor. Grechen-Shirley may not have won her race, but she was the first challenger in 26 years to narrow the electoral margin to single digits, which she did while raising two children under the age of five. And despite losing in the general election, her campaign will leave a positive impact on future candidates who seek to run for office, while also raising a family.
But NY Can Still Do Better…
At 21.6% of the New York City Council, 28.2% of the New York State legislature, 19.4% of the US House of Representatives, and 23% of the US Senate, we are still far from reaching gender parity in our governing bodies. During the 2018 Midterm Election, women picked up 10 seats in the New York State Legislature. If in the next four consecutive election cycles (2020, 2022, 2024, and 2026) women continued to pick up at least 10 seats, we could reach gender equality in the New York State Legislature in eight years. Because the number of women elected during the last NYC election actually decreased, the most immediate city-level goal should be to elect 21 women in 2021, putting the council at 41.2% female, which would be nearly double the current composition. Electing at least 21 women in 2021 would position the council to reach gender perfect gender parity in the next decade, needing to only pick up an additional six seats to surpass 50%. In order to reach true gender parity in government, it is vital that we take action to shift cultural ideas around who should lead, support female candidates, and address gender biases which impede women from getting elected. For starters, we can pass legislation which allows campaign funds to be used for childcare, statewide.
