How women fared in the 2020 election—so far

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November 4, 2020

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Dr. Deborah Birx urges the White House to take the COVID surge seriously, Amy Coney Barrett hears her first case as a SCOTUS Justice, and we take a look how women are faring in down ballot races. Wishing you patience this Wednesday.

– The day after. How’s everyone holding up? For many of us in the U.S., last night was a long one. We still don’t know who has been elected President, and may not for several days. So, rather than dwell on that uncertainty, let’s take a look at what we do know this morning—specifically in regards to how women are faring farther down the ballot.

Several big Senate races—including Maine’s Susan Collins (R) vs. Sara Gideon (D)—have yet to be called, but the headline so far is that Republican Joni Ernst held onto her seat, beating back a strong challenge from Democrat Theresa Greenfield. Defeating Ernst, who was trailing Greenfield in opinion polls, was a key to Dems’ hopes of capturing a majority in the Senate (and one of the reasons this year’s race was the most expensive Senate contest in the state’s history).

A couple other Senate results worth noting: Arizona’s Martha McSally, a Republican, lost her seat to Dem Mark Kelly, while Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) is headed to a January runoff against challenger Raphael Warnock (D).

In the House, Democrats maintained their majority, though some incumbents, including Florida’s Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala, lost their seats. The Squad—made of Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts—all won re-election. Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush won in Missouri; she will be the first Black woman elected to Congress from the state.

Our update on the governors’ races will be short: The three women who ran for major parties this year—Julianne Murray in Delaware, Nicole Galloway in Missouri, and Shelley Lenz in North Dakota—all lost.

And finally, one of the more inspiring victories of the night went to Sarah McBride, who won election to Delaware’s state Senate, becoming the highest-ranking openly transgender official in the country.

Kristen Bellstrom
kristen.bellstrom@fortune.com
@kayelbee

Today’s Broadsheet was curated by Emma Hinchliffe. 

A note from Fortune

This week on Fortune's Brainstorm podcast: Yes, Google's Antitrust Lawsuit Impacts You

Hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O'Keefe are joined by experts to discuss the impact of big tech platforms on democracy and the economy. Listen here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

 CONTENT FROM GOLDMAN SACHS 

Closing investing gaps

Through Launch With GS, a $500 million investment strategy grounded in diversity, Goldman Sachs continues to increase access to capital and facilitate connections for women, Black, Latinx and other diverse entrepreneurs. Learn more

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PARTING WORDS

"If you can understand that I changed my life afterwards, and you can accept me, you should be able to accept legislation that gives people additional chances."

-Michigan House Representative Tenisha Yancey on her felony record as a teenager and felons' voting rights 

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