Source: Samuel Corum/OLIVIER DOULIERY/Michael B. Thomas / Getty
With so much uncertainty around the 2020 presidential election, there are a few races that saw Black women come out in front against their respective opponents.
Earlier this year during primary season, found that 122 Black or multi-racial Black women filed to run for congress this year, following a succession of important elections where Black women have continually moved forward to advocate for the betterment of our people.
Black women are running for local and state office as well in record numbers. Higher Heights for America, a PAC dedicated to electing more progressive Black women, has endorsed 20 Black women candidates who are running for state and local offices. The group complied a list of over 400 Black women who are running across the country.
Here are some of the biggest wins for Black women on election night.
Maxine Waters
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The California Congresswoman snagged over 72 percent of the vote for the 43rd Congressional District over her opponent Joe Collins, covering the cities of Inglewood, Hawthorne and Gardena. Waters has served in congress since 1991 and is currently chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee.
Ilhan Omar
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The Minnesota will begin her second stint in congress serving the state’s 5th Congressional District. Omar is a member of “The Squad,” including Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All four women secured their seats by being re-elected a second time. Omar made history in 2018 when she was elected as the first Somali-American Congress member and the first Black woman to represent Minnesota in congress. She and Tlaib were the first Muslim-American women elected to Congress.
Ayanna Pressley
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Rep. Pressley secured her race with over 87 percent of the the vote over opponent Roy Owens to serve the Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District. Pressley will serve a second term, where she made history in 2018 for becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress to represent Massachusetts.
Cori Bush
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Ferguson activist Cori Bush continued her momentum from the summer after winning a hotly contested primary race. On Tuesday, Bush won 78 percent of the vote over her opponents Anthony Rogers and Alex Furman. Bush will represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. She makes history as the first Black woman to represent the state and overcame homelessness to now move towards shaping the soul of the nation in Congress.
Marilyn Strickland
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Marilyn Strickland, who previously served as mayor of Tacoma, Washington for nearly a decade made history on Tuesday night, becoming the first Black person and first Korean-American to represent Washington in Congress. She secured 58 percent of the vote on Tuesday night against her challenger Beth Doglio and will represent the state’s 10th Congressional District.
Nikema Williams
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Georgia State Senator Nikema Williams secured a landslide win in on election night taking 85 percent of the vote against challenger Angela Stanton-King in the race for the state’s 5th Congressional District. Williams will succeed the late Rep. John Lewis when she enters Congress in January. She was also the first-ever Black woman to be elected Chair of the Georgia Democratic Party
Lucy McBath
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Lucy McBath won her seat for the second time on Tuesday, taking 53 percent of the vote to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. McBath ran after the tragic loss of her only child Jordan Davis, who was shot by a white man in a gas station parking lot who complained Jordan along with his friends were playing their music too loudly.
There are still races to watch like Rep. Jahana Hayes who is running for a second term in Connecticut and Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood, who made history in 2018 as the youngest Black woman elected to Congress.
