By: Lauren Krakau
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There might have been a blue movement during the 2018 midterm elections, but the “wave” Democrats were predicting turned out to be, in the words of some, decidedly pink.
A record-breaking number of women ran for elected office this term and made history when over 100 of them won the congressional seats they campaigned for, primarily in the House of Representatives. Most of these women were first-time elects, and the majority running this year identified as Democrats.
Denise Garner, who won a seat in House District 84 in Northwest, Arkansas, is one of those women.
“They are going to be doing what they care about, because of their community, because of their children, and because of their grandchildren,” Garner said. “That’s a big reason why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
On ballots across the US, there was an unheard number of women who ran for office, leading people to call this year’s midterms, the “pink wave.”
UATV’s political analyst, Janine Parry, broke down what the pink wave really means.
“It’s a whole menu of greater influence than ever before by women,” said Parry.
Garner said she wants more women to join her in this pink wave.
“Right now, we have eighteen women in the legislature and that’s just not acceptable,” Garner said. “We’ve got to get more women involved.”
Parry said that even if all the women candidates were to win, they would still fall short for being represented against the greater public.
But even knowing this, Garner said she wants women to know that they should not be scared to run for a position.
“Women have experiences that men will never have,” Garner said.
The last big “pink wave” moment was in 1992 when more women than ever before were elected to Congress.
Denise Garner won fifty-five percent of the votes in her district against Republican legislature, Charlie Collins.