Meanwhile, Maura Healey (D), who is likely to win the governor’s race in Massachusetts against Geoff Diehl (R), according to Cook Political Report, and Tina Kotek (D), who is running a tight race for governor of Oregon against Christine Drazan (R), would become the first openly lesbian governors in the country, per the Advocate.
Black women are also hoping to break barriers in the Senate. Two candidates that have (rightfully) been getting a lot of national attention are Cheri Beasley, who is running against Ted Budd in North Carolina, and Val Demings, who is facing Marco Rubio in Florida. Both Beasley and Demings are Democrats running to become the first Black woman elected to the Senate in their state.
Democratic candidate for Senate Val Demings. Pool/Getty Images
In addition to being overwhelmingly white and male, our nation’s elected leaders are also overwhelmingly, well, old. According to CNN, the average age of our current Congress is the oldest it’s been in at least 20 years. So, we’ll also be paying special attention to the young candidates who could become the first Zoomers ever elected to Congress: Democrats Maxwell Frost, 25, in Florida and Ray Reed, 25, in Missouri, as well as Republican candidate Karoline Leavitt, 25, in New Hampshire, per NPR.
Close races to watch:
The race to control the House of Representatives as well as the Senate appears closer than anyone initially thought it would be—thanks in no small part to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade over the summer. That means some of the closest races could come down to which candidate wants to protect abortion rights and which supports abortion bans.
In the House of Representatives, candidates endorsed by Emily’s List—an organization that recruits and supports progressive women candidates in elections—running the closest races include Democrats Cindy Axne in Iowa-3, Elaine Luria in Virginia-2, Christy Smith in California-27, Susan Wild in Pennsylvania-7, Michelle Vallejo in Texas-15, and Sharice Davids in Kansas-3.
