Hope!
I am so thrilled with Tuesday night's election results! Let's review, shall we?
- For the first time in US history, the House clerk will be saying, "Madam Speaker." Congratulations, Rep. Pelosi!
- NARAL Pro-Choice America tells us that we have three new pro-choice US Senators and more than twenty new pro-choice US Representatives!
- Democratic control of the Senate will help us take back the federal courts, vital to maintaining reproductive rights at the state level.
- Voters in South Dakota defeated an abortion ban! Voters in Oregon and California also defeated anti-choice ballot measures.
Here in Texas...
- We have five new pro-woman state representatives! Congrats to Valinda Bolton, Ellen Cohen, Juan Garcia, Paula Hightower Pierson, and Allen Vaught. Counting the delightful Rep. Donna Howard, who won her seat in a special election in the spring, we have six new pro-woman voices at the Capitol!
- Notice that four of the above six are women. Cohen defeated anti-feminist Martha Wong, so we have a net gain of three women in the Texas Legislature, for a total of 40. That gets us up to 22% female representation. Not great in total, but a great step forward.
- We re-elected pro-woman Reps. Mark Strama and Hubert Vo and Senator Jeff Wentworth.
That's a good day for women, y'all. I'm feeling good and looking forward to making some progress come the spring and the legislative session!
I'm also looking forward to having more time to sleep - and to post to this blog.