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The large number of women who run for public office in 2018 represents a number of "firsts".
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

WASHINGTON – Even before the mid-term elections in November, women candidates already have a record year.

Women have smashed records this electoral cycle in terms of the number of candidates, candidates in the House, Senate and Governor positions, and even the number of women running against women in general elections.

"What's left is November," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Rutgers Center for Women and Politics.

As the first campaign ends, Walsh said she expects the number of women in Congress to increase next year. But she said that the potential for breakthroughs for women of color, changes in the representation of each state and political activism for women are equally important for "the story of the numbers".

Boston city councilor Ayanna Pressley, for example, is now on the verge of becoming the first black woman elected to the Massachusetts Congress after a landslide victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

The Center for American Women and Politics has followed the women who cross the barriers or are ready to do so, this election cycle. Here are some candidates for the great functions that mark history:

Stacey Abrams: The first African-American woman to win a nomination for a big party as governor in the country. Abrams, a Democrat from Georgia, is running against Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp in a state that has elected GOP governors since 2003. If she wins, she will become the first female African-American governor of the country.

Stacey Abrams, a Democratic governor of Georgia candidate, smiles before addressing supporters at a night of surveillance on May 22, 2018 in Atlanta. More women than ever before have won the primaries for the governor, the US Senate and the House this year. (Photo: John Bazemore, AP)

Michelle Lujan Grisham and Lupe Valdez: The first Latinas democrats appointed for the governor. Lujan Grisham, an American representative chairing the congressional Hispanic Caucus, is running for an open seat in New Mexico against another congressman, GOP representative Steve Pearce. The current governess of New Mexico, Susana Martinez, a Republican, was the first female Hispanic governor in the United States. In Texas, Valdez, former Dallas County sheriff, is already the first member of the LGBTQ community to be elected state. She defies Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican.

Paulette Jordan: The first Native American woman to be appointed for the governor. As a Democrat and member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, Jordan is also the first woman in Idaho to win the Democratic Party Governor's nomination. If she bothered Republican Lieutenant Governor Brad Little in November, she will become the first woman governor of the state and the first Amerindian governor of the country.

Debra Haaland: Presumably be the first member of the Congress of Native Americans. Haaland, a Democrat from New Mexico and a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe, is running against Republican Janice Arnold-Jones in November for a seat considered Democratic.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York in 2018. (Photo: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Campaign / AP)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Abby Finkenauer: Could be the youngest women elected to Congress if they win in November. Ocasio-Cortez, 28, a New York Democrat and activist, is expected to win in his highly Democratic congressional district, which includes the Eastern Bronx and Queens. In Iowa, Finkenauer, 29, a Democrat, is competing against an outgoing representative, Rep. Rod Blum, to represent District President Donald Trump. If Finkenauer wins, she will also become the first member of the Iowa US Congress. US representatives must be 25 years of age or older.

Cindy Hyde-Smith: She is likely to be the first woman elected from Mississippi to Congress. Hyde-Smith, a Republican who already represents Mississippi in the US Senate, was appointed to fill a vacancy in April. If she wins her election in November, that would leave Vermont as the only state that has ever elected a woman to the US Senate or House.

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib: Became the first Muslim in Congress. Omar, a representative of the Democratic State of Minnesota, is already the country's first Somalian legislator. She is competing for a safe haven of the Blue House in Minneapolis and will also become the first state-colored woman to be elected to Congress if she wins. Tlaib, a former state legislator who is also a Democrat, is running unopposed in Michigan's 13th congressional district, which includes neighborhoods in Detroit.

US Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn addresses the crowd, as President Donald Trump looks at his rally at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. (Photo: Larry McCormack, The Tennessean via the USA TODAY network)

Marsha Blackburn: The first Republican woman from Tennessee was appointed to the US Senate and the first woman in the state in 40 years to be appointed by a large party of the US Senate. Blackburn, a US Republican representative, is competing against former governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat. If she wins, she will become the first woman senator of the state.

Jahana Hayes: Probably the first Black woman in Connecticut – with the first black Democrat in the state – elected to Congress. Hayes, a political newcomer who was the national teacher of the year 2016 should win her candidacy to replace the Democratic representative Elizabeth Esty, who is not seeking to be reelected.

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Christine Hallquist: The country's first openly transgender candidate to be appointed governor by a major party. Hallquist, a Vermont Democrat and former Public Service CEO, will face Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, seeking his second term.

Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema: We are on the verge of becoming the first woman from Arizona to be elected to the US Senate in November. The two representatives of the United States, Republican McSally, and Sinema, a Democrat, clashed to replace Senator Jeff Flake, who is retiring. Their race is one of more than 30 congressional and governorship races in which women run against women. Democrats see the race as a pickup opportunity, but the death of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., And his legacy are expected on the run.

Ayanna Pressley: Became the first black woman elected to the Massachusetts Congress. The Boston City Council eliminated 10-member Representative Michael Capuano in Tuesday's Democratic primary and is now unopposed.

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