Women Who Made Herstory in the Midterm Elections

With the last votes still trickling in, thus far, 98 women have been elected to the U.S. House, 12 women to the U.S. Senate and 9 women as state governors. Regardless of how it ultimately ends, it’s been a record-shattering election, with dozens of ‘firsts’ in the House and Senate. A brief sampling:

  • Young Kim (R-CA) became the first Korean American woman elected to Congress.
  • Sharice Davids (D-KS) is the first Native American woman elected to Congress.
  • Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) became the first black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts.
  • Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and lhan Omar (D-MN) became the first two Muslim American women elected to Congress.
  • Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia, both Democrats from Texas, are the first two Latinas elected to Congress from the state.
  • Martha McSally (R-AZ) is now the first woman senator from Arizona.
  • Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is the first woman elected senator from Tennessee.

Given the Midterms’ importance, in addition to the traditional metrics we gauge with important events, we also turned an eye toward engagement in the month before the elections: Who gained the most followers during campaigning? Read on for our take on every woman who made herstory as elected Senators and Governors the Midterm elections.

Women in the Senate 

Without Instagram: Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jacklyn Rosen (D-NV).

📈 Election month account growth: +1.06% (+207 followers)

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Mae was born with a serious and rare lung disease that kept her in the hospital for the first 20 months of her life. Mae was tethered to a vent to keep her alive, until a double transplant last September allowed her to finally come home. Mae hit the $1 million lifetime cap on insurance that had been in place prior to the Affordable Care Act before she was even 3 months old. But she’s thriving today, in part because she was able to access quality, affordable healthcare through her private insurance, which was supplemented by Medicaid. Now, in addition to playing outside and reading books with her moms and sister Rosie, Mae is working to protect funding for Medicaid, which is the single largest health insurer for kids. I'm so proud to be in this fight with you, Mae.

A post shared by Elizabeth Warren (@senwarren) on

  • Elizabeth Warren
  • Massachusetts
  • 163,247 followers
📈 Election month account growth: +4.48% (+6,995 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +40.82% (+6,126 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: N/A

📈 Election month account growth: +22.00% (+324 followers)

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Thank you Nebraska! #thegoodlife #LoveNE

A post shared by Senator Fischer (@senatorfischer) on

📈 Election month account growth: +3.66% (+78 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +10.72% (+11,300 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +12.33% (+212 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +4.99% (+504 followers)

 

 Women Governors

Without Instagram: Laura Kelly (D-KS) & Janet Mills (DE-M)

📈 Election month account growth: +13.35% (+411 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +25.80% (+569 followers)

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🗳️✔️

A post shared by Gretchen Whitmer (@gewhitmer) on

  • Gretchen Whitmer
  • Michigan
  • 10,476 followers
📈 Election month account growth: +60.29% (+3,929 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +19.30% (+1,128 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +11.74% (+260 followers)

📈 Election month account growth: +7.58% (+470 followers)

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When I first came to Congress, I envisioned an innovative solution that would help seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities maintain their independence and support #caregivers in New Mexico and across the country. Which is why the announcement we made this morning meant so much to me. It is exciting that after years of hard work and tireless advocacy on the part of the many organizations who have supported this effort, we were able to secure $5 million in funding for #CareCorps grants in the 2019 federal appropriations bill. These grants will help address the increasing demand for caregiving in New Mexico and the nation, as well as give volunteers the experience of working with seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

A post shared by Michelle Lujan Grisham (@replujangrisham) on

📈 Election month account growth: +16.22% (+434 followers)

 

So who gained the most followers overall?

In terms of percent gained: Gretchen Whitmer (@gewhitmer) from Michigan, far and away, with a 60.29% increase.

In terms of followers gained: Kirsten Gillibrand (@kirstengillibrand) from New York, also by far, with a 11,300 follower increase.