The future is female, and this sentiment now rings especially true in Nevada. The state has become the first in the country to have a majority-female legislature following the appointments of Rochelle Nguyen and Beatrice Angela Duran to two open seats in the Assembly. With their appointments, female lawmakers will hold 23 of 42 seats in the state Assembly and nine of the 21 seats in the state Senate. In a statement, state assembly speaker Jason Frierson said of the appointments:
“The Assembly Democratic Caucus is proud to welcome Rochelle Nguyen and Beatrice Duran to the State Assembly and our Caucus. In addition to a diversity of backgrounds and life experiences, both Rochelle and Beatrice bring passion, energy, and knowledge to the State Legislature that will better serve our state and our constituents.”
And now joining Nevada in its historical majority-female legislature is Colorado. The state’s lower house now accommodates “three more women than men,” according to NPR, which has “only happened only once before, in New Hampshire about a decade ago.” Consequently, female state representatives and senators now make up 50.8% of the chamber. Kelly Dittmar, scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, told NPR of the change:
"Women hold fewer than 30% of state legislative seats across the country, fewer than 25 percent of congressional seats, so getting to 50% in any one place is something significant. So we still have a lot of progress left to make across the country to have women equally represented in our legislative institutions."
Coupled with historic wins at the federal level, things are definitely looking up for women on the political stage. Here’s to a 2019 filled with smart, powerful women!
