The U.S. is still waiting to find out who will be president. This is already known: There will be a record number of women in the next Congress.
At least 131 women have been elected so far — 100 Democrats and 31 Republicans — to serve in country's 117th Congress, according to data released Thursday by the Center for American Women and Politics. That breaks the previous record of 127 women set in 2019 and represents another step in the right direction, CAWP Director Debbie Walsh said in a statement.
"Women's representation in American politics has been, through struggle and persistence, on a long, if occasionally fitful, upward trajectory," Walsh said. "With all that progress, at best, women will still make up less than thirty percent of Congress in 2021."
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In the U.S. House of Representatives, a record 106 women, made up of 83 Democrats and 23 Republicans, have been elected. Figures show 85 were reelected and 21 are new members.
All four progressive congresswomen of "The Squad" were among the candidates to win reelection – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
"Our sisterhood is resilient," Omar wrote on Twitter, celebrating the group's victories.
New Mexico made history in this election, becoming the first state in history to elect all women of color to the House. Early Wednesday, the state confirmed victories for incumbent Rep. Deb Haaland, plus Yvette Herrell and Teresa Leger Fernandez.
In the Senate, 25 women have been elected so far, one less than the 2019 record. That could change if Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris is elected vice president or Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler wins a runoff election in Georgia on Jan. 5.
"The 2018 cycle was a story of Democratic success; this year we are seeing significant gains on the Republican side. Advances for women must come from both sides of the aisle if women are to achieve equal representation in Congress," Walsh said.
The CAWP is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
Contributing: Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Congress will have record number of women, at least 131, in 2021