The 2004 election brought a record number of women to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 109th Congress. Eight new women were elected, bringing the total number of women to 68, including 3 Delegates. Of that number, 23 are Republicans and 45 are Democrats. Additionally, a record 139 women were candidates for a seat in the House.
Sixty-three women served in the 108th Congress. Two women retired–Reps. Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) and Karen McCarthy (D-MO). Rep. Denise Majette (D-GA) vacated her seat to make an unsuccessful bid for Senate. All of the women seeking reelection to the House were victorious.
On the Senate side, no new women were elected to the Senate. Incumbent Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Patty Murray (D-WA) successfully defended their seats, leaving the total number of women serving in the Senate at 14.
At press time, the race between Brian Higgins (D-NY) and Nancy Naples (R-NY) for a seat vacated by Rep. Jack Quinn (R-NY) was too close to call.
Women Newly Elected to the House
Rep.-elect Melissa Bean (D-IL) defeated incumbent Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL) in a hard-fought race. She is president of Sales Resources, Inc., a consulting firm serving high-tech Fortune 1000 clients, and has worked in management positions for a number of area technology companies. She is expected to focus on job creation, education, and access to quality health care.
Rep.-elect Thelma Drake (R-VA) defeated David Ashe in a seat vacated by Rep. Ed Schrock. She has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 1995, where she holds a leadership position. She also chairs the Virginia Housing Commission. Education, transportation, and insurance and property reforms have been her top priorities.
Rep.-elect Virginia Foxx (R-NC) defeated Jim Harrell, Jr. in a contest for a seat vacated by Rep. Richard Burr (R-NC). She has served in the North Carolina State Senate since 1994. Prior to that, she served as President and consultant at Mayland Community College. She is expected to focus on education and information technology.
Rep.-elect Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) returns to the seat she held from 1992 to 2002 when she was defeated by Rep. Denise Majette (D-GA). Rep. Majette vacated the seat to make an unsuccessful bid for Senate. Rep.-elect McKinney has been a leader on human rights and is expected to continue that work in Congress.
Rep.-elect Cathy McMorris (R-WA) defeated Don Barbieri in a contest for a seat vacated by Rep. George Nethercutt (R-WA). She was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1995, and she became House Republican Leader in 2003. She also chaired the Commerce and Labor Committee. She is expected to focus on education, safety, and reducing taxes.
Rep.-elect Gwen Moore (D-WI) defeated Gerald Boyle in a contest for a seat vacated by Rep. Gerald Kleczka (D-WI). She served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1989 to 1992, and in 1992, she became the first African-American woman elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, where she chaired the Black and Hispanic Legislative Caucus. She is expected to focus on job creation, health care, and education.
Rep.-elect Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) defeated Margaret Hostetter in a contest for a seat vacated by Rep. Peter Deutsch (D-FL). In 1992, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Florida State Legislature at the age of 26. In 2000, she was elected to the Florida State Senate. Education, children’s issues, and insurance law have topped her legislative agenda.
Rep.-elect Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) defeated Melissa Brown in a contest for a seat vacated by Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D-PA). She had served in the Pennsylvania State Senate since 1990. Prior to that, she was appointed as Acting Commissioner and First Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Human Services from 1988 to 1990. She is expected to focus on health care and education.
Women in Governorships
Three women made gubernatorial bids in 2004. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D-DE) was reelected to her second term by defeating Republican challenger William Lee. With the reelection of Gov. Minner, seven women serve as governors, a decline from the nine women who served in 2004.
Claire McCaskill (D-MO) was defeated by Matt Blunt (R-MO) in her bid for the governorship of Missouri. At press time, Christine Gregoire’s (D-WA) race against Dino Rossi (R-WA) was too close to call.
