A Net Loss for Women in Congress

Female politicians took a drubbing in Tuesday’s midterm elections, resulting in a net loss in the total number of congressional seats held by women for the first time in 30 years. While Republican women like Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle grabbed many headlines during the campaign season, very few of them were actually elected—or if they were elected, very few were nominated for leadership positions. One exception may be Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has announced her intention to run for the House’s conference chair. With Nancy Pelosi stepping down as Speaker of the House, there are now very few prominent female leaders—with the exception of Sarah Palin. As for women voters, they were pretty much split between Republicans and Democrats.