--- title: How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018 description: A record 25 Democratic women are heading to Congress for the first time after Tuesday night. canonical: https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-07T05:59:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:05:29.220Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018 og:description: A record 25 Democratic women are heading to Congress for the first time. og:url: https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8a8a92d85b5093/69893e75fb4eacad5b89824a/haley-stevens-election-women.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: haley-stevens-election-women og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018 twitter:description: A record 25 Democratic women are heading to Congress for the first time. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8a8a92d85b5093/69893e75fb4eacad5b89824a/haley-stevens-election-women.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d68b80bd-adb2-43d4-9695-04a794edf2fd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d68b80bd-adb2-43d4-9695-04a794edf2fd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=d68b80bd-adb2-43d4-9695-04a794edf2fd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d68b80bd-adb2-43d4-9695-04a794edf2fd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: If She Wins: The First-Time Congressional Candidates Who Turned Their Districts Blue [Watch (HLS stream): If She Wins: The First-Time Congressional Candidates Who Turned Their Districts Blue](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aEVM39NM.m3u8) (7:50)  _Published 2018-11-07. A record 25 Democratic women who are heading to Congress for the first time after Tuesday night, helping Democrats take the House of Representatives even as the party lost key Senate and governors’ races._  by [Charlotte Alter / Birmingham, Mich.](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter / Birmingham, Mich. Senior Correspondent Nov 7, 2018 5:59 AM UTC A record 25 Democratic women who are heading to Congress for the first time after Tuesday night, helping Democrats take the House of Representatives even as the party lost key Senate and governors’ races.  by [Charlotte Alter / Birmingham, Mich.](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter / Birmingham, Mich. Senior Correspondent Nov 7, 2018 5:59 AM UTC For the last several months, Haley Stevens and Lauren Underwood have been sending each other lots of emojis. As first-time women candidates running in Michigan and Illinois, they were part of a surge of new Congressional candidates aiming to flip GOP-held seats in crucial swing districts. But as young women running to serve in a Congress where they were far outnumbered by older men, they were also just trying to keep each other going. “Enjoy the feeling, because you DID IT!!” Underwood texted Stevens after she won her August primary (she also reminded her to clear her voicemail because it would fill up quickly.) “Keep fighting. Keep going. We are going to change the world!” Stevens texted Underwood last month. On Tuesday night Stevens, a 35-year old who served on Obama’s Auto Task Force, won her race to represent Michigan’s 11th district. Underwood, a 32-year old registered nurse and former Health and Human Servces official, won her race to represent Illinois’s 14th district. They’ll join a record 25 Democratic women who are heading to Congress for the first time after Tuesday night, helping Democrats take the House of Representatives even as the party lost key Senate and governors’ races. **Read More:** [_A Record Number of Women Were Elected to the House by a Wide Margin_](http://time.com/5446944/women-midterm-results/) Some of the big wins for Democrats on Tuesday were experienced leaders, like Michigan’s Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer, who led the Democrats in the state Senate, or Kansas’s Gov.-elect Laura Kelly, who has served in the Kansas state Senate since 2005. But many of the toughest House races were won by women who were taking their first foray into electoral politics. [Sharice Davids,](http://time.com/5437107/sharice-davids-democrat-kansas/) who won a House seat in a conservative Kansas district, is an openly gay Native American lawyer with a background in mixed martial arts fighting. [Cindy Axne,](http://time.com/5438593/cindy-axne-iowa-democrats/) a small business owner, was one of two women to win a House seat in Iowa. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA analyst, ousted Tea Party Republican Dave Brat in Virginia. For many of them, Tuesday night was the culmination in a series of personal transformations: from citizen to gadfly, from gadfly to candidate, from candidate to duly elected representative of the American people. So when thousands of ordinary American women transformed into leaders, the American government transformed on Tuesday night as well. In the two years since Hillary Clinton’s defeat, something remarkable has happened in American politics. The day after Trump’s inauguration, millions surged into the streets to protest his agenda at the Women’s March, generally considered the biggest single-day protest in American history. Soon after that, many of those women formed local Indivisible groups aimed at using Tea Party-style tactics to pressure their local representatives. Months later, as a GOP legislature attempted to repeal the ACA, women activists made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to their representatives and confronted them at angry town halls. By early 2018, more than 42,000 women had reached out to Emily’s List about running for office, and 356 women Democrats filed paperwork to run for Congress (120 Republican women filed to run). By Tuesday, 183 women Democrats were on the ballot for the House of Representatives. “Here, a story like mine is possible,” says Underwood. “A regular middle-class woman working full‑time is able to figure out how to get on the ballot, walk around, knock on doors, get signatures and ends up winning an election.” “That story is not possible in every country,” Underwood says. “It’s possible here.” But the transformation extends far beyond just the women who chose to run for office. Thousands of women have upended their lives over the last two years join the army of organizers devoted to changing politics and electing Democrats in the midterms. Women [led the opposition](http://time.com/4878724/donald-trump-gop-health-care-women/) to the GOP plan to kill the ACA. Women founded most of the thousands of Indivisible groups around the country, and roughly [70% of Indivisible](http://time.com/longform/democrat-midterm-strategy/) activists are women. In Georgia, domestic workers organized by Care In Action contacted more than 500,000 voters and sent nearly 1.5 million text messages in support of Stacey Abrams for Governor — 90% of those activists were women. “This is a victory that’s driven not by Washington but by a nationwide local grassroots movement led by woman,” says Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible. “Women, and occasionally men, who tried to explain to their children how the bully could have gotten elected.” And it’s a mobilization that could lead to a Democratic majority that is more responsive to women’s concerns. Women make up roughly a third of the Democratic caucus, so they’ll have a more powerful voice in the majority than Republicans had when they controlled the House, according to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. And even though a Republican Senate means that women Democrats in the House are unlikely to pass any major legislation, “I think the women will be better positioned from the perspective of stopping bad things from happening,” says Walsh. “Having extra women in these institutions makes just a little bit more cultural change in how things are done,” says Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily’s List, which works to elect pro-choice women Democrats. “Women get more bills passed, their bills have more cosponsorships than their male counterparts, women in general are more progressive.” Stevens addressed supporters Tuesday night after spending most of the night playing Scrabble with her mother as returns poured in. “We just elected the first woman to Congress in Michigan’s 11th district,” she said to massive applause in a hotel ballroom in Birmingham, MI. “I am the daughter of a fabulous mother,” she said. “And make no mistake about it, we are the defenders of our democracy.” ## Transcript When Obama was elected, everybody said this says something about America. Yes. When Trump was elected, everybody said this says something about America. What do you think your election says about America? We the people. Your campaign [ INAUDIBLE ]. We the people. This started out as an idea. I was mad and thought I needed to do something. That story's not possible in every country. People here. Democrats won the midterms with the help of women voters, women organizers, and women candidates. In the ten days before the election, we drove across the Midwest to meet some of the first time women candidates trying to flip Republican seats. [ MUSIC ] We're in Kansas' third district, wait, where am I, yeah, here. [ MUSIC ] Kansas' third district is a swing district. It tends to go for republicans when republicans have a wave, and. And Democrats. When Democrats have a wave, that's because its a district in a red state with a lot of conservatives, but it's also a suburb of a big city. So the suburban voters who are gonna decide the midterms are the types of people who live in this district. Our first stop is Sharice Davids. She is a really interesting candidate. I've had to fight my whole life because of who I am, who I love. She is a ****, Native American, former MMA fighter, who's also an attorney. She's running for Kevin Yoder's seat in Congress. There are a lot of different aspects of who I And what my experience has been that a lot of people connect with for one reason or another. The number of people who wanna see more women running for office, the number of people who wanna see more first generation college students running for office. It took me four years to get an associate's degree, cuz I was working the whole time that I was in school. We don't have enough people in Congress who Know what it's like to go to community college. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] So we're going to visit the campaigns of Cindy Axey in Iowa's third district and Abby Finkenauer in Iowa's first district. If they both win it could be a sign that Iowa isn't as deep red as the 2016 election would suggest. [ INAUDIBLE ] [ APPLAUSE ] And just because I only have seven more days to say this and it's awfully fun with you guys, I'm Cindy Axne and I'm running for the US Congress of [ INAUDIBLE ]. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] What's the single most important issue facing Iowans that you're going to fix? Healthcare. Making sure everyone has access to affordable qualifty healthcare and that means coverage of preexisting conditions. Trump won this district by about four points in 2016 and David Young has voted with Trump about 99 % of the time. And so the question is, Will this southwestern Iowa district that favored Trump, is it possible that they might vote for a Democrat this time? [ MUSIC ] One of the big problems facing rural America is a brain Dream situation. People will raise their families in these districts and then their kids grow up and there are not enough educational opportunities and not enough job opportunities for young people and so then they end up moving away. So when you have somebody like Abby Finkenauer who is running in Iowa's first district on a platform of better rural jobs Educational opportunities, that's the kind of person who could really revitalize a district like this. I've decided to run for Congress because this is personal. [ APPLAUSE ] You see I grew up a daughter of a union, [ INAUDIBLE ] [ MUSIC ] If she wins her way she'll be one of the youngest women in Congress. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Lauren Underwood is not supposed to win in this district. Until really recently she was down in the polls by a lot. And it's only in the last couple weeks That this race has been marked a toss up so if she wins it will be a huge upset. [ APPLAUSE ] There's been tremendous enthusiasm about early voting in the 14th district. We're at presidental level interest to walk in and early vote. Vote by mail has never been more More popular than it is this year. You can see an average primary here in the Illinois 14th District 8, 000 people pulled democratic ballots but this year 51, 200. [ APPLAUSE ] 51. 200 people. It's called Democratic balance. What does it feel like? It is unbelievable. This is not a world in which I'm comfortable, in that the vice- president is coming to my Community to help me win this election, like what? She's a registered nurse, and she's worked for the Department of Health and Human Services under the Obama administration and helped to implement the ACA, so she knows the law. This is a seat that would be absolutely safe for Republicans if they hadn't tried to repeal the ACA. How has it changed the way you think about this country and what's possible in this country? Yeah, America's the best country ever where a story like mine is possible. A regular, middle class woman working full time is able to, with a friend, figure out how to get on the ballot, get on the ballot Walk around, knock on doors, get signatures. Talk to the party and they're okay. Go for it. I think that's such a gift to know and in your early 30s. We literally can do anything. [ MUSIC ] So we're here in Birmingham, Michigan in Michigan's 11th district It's 8: 00 on election night, and the mood is tense. That Haley Stevens running against Lena Epstein. Lena Epstein was the Michigan Chair of the Trump campaign. Haley Stevens was the Chief of Staff on Obama's Jobs task force, which brought a lot of jobs back to this area. [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] Here's where we are by the end of the night. Sharice Davids won, Cindy Axne won, Abby Finkenauer won, Lauren Underwood won, and Haley Stevens won. Every single woman that we talked to on this road trip ended up winning their campaign. Truman's words remind. America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. A record number of women are the House of Representatives and at least 26 First- time Congresswomen are entering the House this year. That is pretty historic. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/"},"headline":"How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018","datePublished":"2018-11-07T05:59:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:05:29.220Z","description":"A record 25 Democratic women are heading to Congress for the first time after Tuesday night.","url":"https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/","keywords":["2018 Elections","democrats","Congress"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8a8a92d85b5093/69893e75fb4eacad5b89824a/haley-stevens-election-women.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlotte Alter / Birmingham, Mich."}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8a8a92d85b5093/69893e75fb4eacad5b89824a/haley-stevens-election-women.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"haley-stevens-election-women","caption":"Democratic candidate and winner of Michigan's 11th Congressional District Haley Stevens addresses the crowd at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Mich. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.","creditText":"Erin Kirkland for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2018-elections/","name":"2018 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/","name":"How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"If She Wins: The First-Time Congressional Candidates Who Turned Their Districts Blue","description":"A record 25 Democratic women who are heading to Congress for the first time after Tuesday night, helping Democrats take the House of Representatives even as the party lost key Senate and governors’ races.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/aEVM39NM/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-11-07T11:06:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aEVM39NM.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/","duration":"PT7M50S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5446556/congress-women-pink-wave/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```