By Gianna Pisano, NWPC Communications Intern

When Vice President Kamala Harris spoke the night that she and President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, she said, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last–-because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” 

Over the past years, many women have been the ‘first,’ paving the way for other women to follow in their footsteps in a variety of roles nationwide, including in government office. Just last year, Kathy Hochul became the first woman to serve as governor of New York, Sarah McBride was sworn-in in Delaware as the first ever transgender woman–and transgender person–to serve in a state Senate, and Michelle Wu became the first woman and person of color to be elected mayor of Boston. Right now, there are also more women serving in the U.S. Congress than ever before, the number of women governors in the U.S. is tied for the most ever, and two women are holding the second and third highest elected offices in the country, as Vice President and House Speaker. 

Despite this progress, there are still many glass ceilings that have yet to be broken. Here are eleven of the many women who could make history if they win their elections in the upcoming November midterms:

Stacey Abrams, Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate

Stacey Abrams is a voting rights activist and the former House Minority Leader of the Georgia General Assembly, who is currently running for governor of the state for the second time. The first time she ran was in 2018, when she became the first Black woman to receive a major party’s nomination for the office. If she is victorious this time, she will achieve a few major firsts. Abrams would be the first ever Black woman to become a U.S. governor, as well as the first woman to be Georgia governor. 

Molly Gray, Becca Balint, Kesha Ram & Sianay Clifford, U.S. House of Representatives Candidates from Vermont

Molly Gray

The current Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, Molly Gray is on the ballot for the state’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. If elected, she would be the first ever woman to represent Vermont in Congress, in either the House or the Senate. 

Becca Balint

Running for the same U.S. House of Representatives seat is Becca Balint. The current President Pro-Tempore of the Vermont Senate, she also previously served as the state Senate Majority Leader. In addition to being the first woman elected to federal office from Vermont, Balint would also be the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from the state.

Kesha Ram

Currently a member of the Vermont State Senate, Kesha Ram is another one of the women running for Vermont’s open U.S. House seat. Ram previously made history as the first person of color to ever be elected to represent Burlington, which is the state’s largest city. If Ram wins the House seat she would make history again as both the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress, as well as the first person of color.

Sianay Clifford

Sianay Clifford is also running for Vermont’s seat in the House. She previously worked for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, and Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, among other accomplishments. Like Ram, Clifford would be both the first woman and person of color elected to represent Vermont in federal office.

Karen Bass, Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate

Karen Bass currently serves as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California, and is now running for Los Angeles Mayor. Before being elected to Congress over a decade ago, she served as a member of the California State Assembly, where she made history as the first Black woman to be Speaker of a state legislature. If she wins the upcoming mayoral election, she will mark another first, becoming the first ever Black woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles.

Val Demings, U.S. Senate Candidate from Florida

Another current member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Val Demings of Florida is now running for one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats. Before being elected to the House in 2016, Demings served as Orlando’s first female police chief. If she wins the seat in November, she would become the first Black woman to represent Florida in the Senate, as well as just the third Black woman ever elected to the chamber.

Cheri Beasley, U.S. Senate Candidate

Cheri Beasley is currently running for a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina. Before launching her run for office, Beasley served as a judge (and eventually chief justice) of the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 2008, she made history as the first Black woman to be elected to statewide office in North Carolina without having been previously appointed to a role by the governor. If elected, Beasley would become the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate from North Carolina, and like Demings, would be the third woman ever elected to the chamber.

Sonia Chang Diaz & Maura Healey, Massachusetts Gubernatorial Candidates

Sonia Chang-Diaz

Sonia Chang-Diaz is a gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts. She is currently serving in the state Senate, as the first Latina and Asian-American to do so. If elected governor, she would be the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts, as well as the first Latina and Asian-American governor of the state. 

Maura Healey

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is also running to be governor of the state. She made history in her current role, becoming the first openly gay person to be elected to a state attorney general role in the U.S. Like Chang-Diaz, Healey would also be the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts. In addition, Healey would also become the first openly lesbian governor of any U.S. state.

Michelle Rayner, U.S. House of Representatives Candidate from Florida

Michelle Rayner is running to represent Florida’s 13th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Right now, Rayner is the first and only openly LGBTQ Black woman in the Florida legislature. If she wins the House seat, Rayner would make history as the first openly LGBTQ Black woman to be elected to Congress.

Gianna Pisano earned her Communications degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 2019. This past year, she worked to complete a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Leadership and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is passionate about politics, women’s rights, and increasing the number of diverse women in elected office. She hopes to be able to work in a communications/press role for a political organization, on campaigns, or even for a lawmaker in the near future. In her free time, Gianna loves to read, write and discover new coffee shops and bookstores.