US Congress set for historic 2018 election as more women than ever run for office

US Congress
US Congress Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

More women than ever before are running for the US Congress next year in an apparent backlash to Donald Trump’s presidency. 

Some 374 female candidates are seeking seats in the House of Representatives - smashing the previous high of 298 in 2012 – and 42 are trying to reach the Senate. 

Much of the surge comes from Democratic women seeking to unseat Republican incumbents after Hillary Clinton failed to become the first female president last year. 

First-time candidates have cited Mr Trump’s “attacks on women” and his behaviour in office as reasons for throwing their hat into the political ring. 

There are hopes of recreating the so-called “Year of the Woman” in 1992, when scandal in Washington DC and a national debate about sexism triggered a jump in the number of congresswomen.

The number of women running for Congress has been rising over recent years, but 2018 looks set to see a dramatic jump. 

Donald Trump, right, and Theresa May
Donald Trump, right, and Theresa May Credit: MATT DUNHAM/AFP/Getty Images

One of those women seeking to make history is Mikie Sherrill, a former navy pilot and mother of four hoping to represent the 11th district of New Jersey. 

After almost a decade in the military and a stint as a government lawyer, Ms Sherrill decided it was the time to enter politics after watching the Trump presidency with alarm. 

“Most of my life I’ve spent working for the Government. I really felt like with this president we’re seeing attacks on institutions of our democracy in ways we’ve never seen before,” she told the Telegraph. 

“I’m concerned about his treatment of POWs [prisoners of war], of gold-star families, his attacks on women, his attacks on minorities, the federal court system, the ‘Muslim ban’.  

“You name it. He has spent his time attacking everything I’ve supported. I felt very affronted.”

Ms Sherrill’s family life – she has daughters aged 12 and 5 and sons aged 10 and 8 – gave her pause for thought as she considered a career on Capitol Hill.

But she decided with her husband Jason Hedberg that taking on Mr Trump’s agenda in Congress would actually protect her children. 

“With any job I’ve had there have always been concerns about balancing my job and my family life. But my friends and I joke that there’s no such thing as work-life balance. You’re always trying to find it, it’s the unattainable goal,” Ms Sherrill said. 

“Having four kids and being as concerned as I am about the future of this country, I felt like it was something I had to do for them.”

The race will not be easy. Her opponent, the Republican congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, has held the seat for 27 years. 

However support has been slipping for Republican presidential candidates, from John McCain winning the district by 9 per cent in 2008 to Mr Trump doing so by less than 1 per cent last year, which brings hope. 

The numbers, crunched by researchers at Center for American Women and Politics, part of Rutgers University, do suggest something historic is on the way. 

Professor Kelly Dittmar, who has worked on the project, suspects the backlash against Mr Trump’s victory last year has played a part. 

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, had hoped to become the first female US president
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, had hoped to become the first female US president Credit: AFP/Getty Images

“We cannot definitely speak to the motivation of each of these female candidates. But the anecdotal stories and evidence that we have … indicates that women have been energised to respond to this president and this administration,” she says. 

“In particular, they have expressed both anger and discontent at the president’s behavior and rhetoric as well as the policies his administration has put forward.”

Other research suggests similar. The president of Emily's List, the largest national organization devoted to electing female candidates, recently said more than 22,000 women had reached out about running since Mr Trump's election. That compares to just 1,000 women in the 10 months before the election. 

For Professor Dittmar, the trend is part of a wider phenomenon.  “Look at the energy of women protesting and activism in the 'women’s march' [last year], the women speaking out against sexual harassment and abuse,” she says. 

“These are all indicators that women are both feeling empowered and motivated that this is a moment of urgency for them to have a seat at the table.” 

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