With Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, a record 72 Black women are on the midterm ballot nationwide. They are running for the U.S. Senate, the House, governorships and statewide offices, and several are newcomers aiming to make history in their states. Scripps News recently highlighted the story, and it is one worth sitting with before you vote..
By the numbers
According to data from Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics and Higher Heights, the 72 candidates break down this way:
- Senate: 4 Black women are running.
- U.S. House: 40 Black women are nominees.
- Governor: 2 Black women are running.
- Other statewide offices: 26 Black women are running.
Nearly a majority of the group are Democrats, but the field includes candidates from both parties.
Two candidates, two long shots
In New Mexico, Dr. Ndidiamaka Okpareke is a pharmacist, a mother of three and the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. A first-time Republican candidate, she is challenging a three-term incumbent. If she wins, she would be the first Black woman to represent New Mexico in Congress.
In South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, 25-year-old Democrat Courtney McClain is running in one of the state’s most conservative districts. She would be the first Black woman South Carolina has ever sent to Congress. She told Scripps News that many people doubted her at the start, but that support has grown as Election Day nears.
Both women say they don’t want to be defined only by history-making. While interviewing with Scripps News, McClain put it simply: “Representation isn’t just about what the person looks like.” Okpareke, meanwhile, spoke about refusing to be boxed in by ideology on either side of the aisle.
What the experts say
University of Florida professor Sharon Austin, who studies Black women in politics, noted that these were once offices women of color rarely sought. She said candidates still face bias and bigotry, but that many push through it, and that more voters today are willing to look beyond race and gender.
Kelly Dittmar, director of research at CAWP, cautioned that the story goes beyond “firsts.” Because some Black women are leaving Congress, the overall number serving may not rise sharply. But the new candidates are younger and come from more varied backgrounds, and Dittmar said this year could offer more proof that Black women win tough races, including in majority-white electorates.
Why this matters to us
Who holds office shapes who is heard when decisions are made about schools, health care, housing and the economy, and about the policies that determine whether our communities are protected or overlooked. Representation does not replace showing up with a plan, but it changes who is in the room.
Whatever your politics, these candidates are expanding the answer to a question Black women have been asked for generations: where can you win? Voters will give the answer on Tuesday.
Take action: Make a plan to vote, check your registration and polling place, and bring a friend. Visit NBCI Trust Voter Advisory for resources.
Source: Scripps News, “Black women on the ballot in the midterms could make history across the country”
