Meet the Republican who may become the youngest ever woman in Congress

WASHINGTON An upstate New York Republican is slated Tuesday to shatter the congressional record of former Brooklyn Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Elise Stefanik, 30, is favored to win in New Yorks upstate 21st District and break history as the youngest female to win a seat in the House. Holtzman was sworn in at age 31 in 1973 at a time when women werent even allowed in the congressional gym.

Im just sorry its a not a Democrat, Holtzman told The Post. But hats off to her. We need more young women in Congress.

Holtzman, who co-founded the first womens caucus, never expected her record to last more than 40 years and would check with Congress every election to see if any young woman had finally surpassed it.

Stefanik, a Harvard graduate and a former aide to President George W. Bush, was not the person she had in mind.

I think more important than gender, its what people stand for, said Holtzman, a lawyer in Manhattan.

Stefanik has touted her youth and fresh ideas on the campaign trail in the race against 50-year-old Democrat Aaron Woolf, a documentary film maker who owns a Brooklyn organic eatery. Shes feels honored to have added an additional crack in the glass ceiling.

She commended Holtzmans achievement and pledged to encourage more young women to run. I hope my record is broken faster than hers, Stefanik told The Post.

Women represent just 18.5 percent of the seats in Congress and this Election Day isnt expected to do much to ease the gender gap. But several female candidates arepoised to make history.

In Utah, Mia Love is strongly favored to become the first African American Republican woman elected to Congress.

Read this article:
Meet the Republican who may become the youngest ever woman in Congress

Related Posts

Comments are closed.