Week in Review 11/9/2018

The jubilant feeling of taking back the House quickly faded with the mass shooting at a Los Angeles bar early Thursday morning. Less than two days earlier, voters defeated NRA-backed candidates, sending a loud message that our country's safety will not be held hostage by the NRA.

Besides gun violence prevention, there will be many challenging issues, such as healthcare, facing the next Congress. Dealing with these issues will necessitate bipartisanship.

The newly-elected representatives come from across the country. Although their districts are diverse, they are united in their strong desire to start getting things done in Washington by placing principle over politics. 

Next year, women will make up nearly a quarter of the 435-member House of Representatives- a record high. Numerous studies on gender and problem-solving show that women are often bridge builders, collaborating to find the solutions to tricky problems. Female legislators often bring greater attention to wage gaps, family leave policy, sexual harassment, child abuse and other critical issues that disproportionately affect women. ¹

JAC helped, with your support, to elect many of these new female members. We were involved in over 100 races across the country and are proudly sending 80 of these candidates to Washington.

Women are part of the 40 new members - the 3rd largest freshman class since Watergate. The new members have tipped the balance of power in the House in a very meaningful way. Some races have yet even to be decided.

Democrats will now hold key leadership and committee posts. The committee chairs determine what legislation is moved out of their committees, while the Speaker of the House determines what bills reach the House floor for a vote. We can at last have hearings, debates and votes on our country's most pressing issues.

Election turnout hit a 50-year high thanks in part to women and millennials. Tuesday's winners also include all those people that waited in lines to vote, knocked on doors in the rain and heat, and spent time calling voters. We are proud of all our JAC members who worked across the country to make Tuesday such a success.

We all win when we participate in democracy, even if our candidate loses.