The Hill News

HBO’s “Game Change,” adapted from the blockbuster book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, couldn’t have been better timed. It reminded everyone of the history made in 2008 and how the earth shook when the Hillary Effect pushed a woman on to the Republican presidential ticket for the first time in history. It solidified women as official game changers.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. When running against incumbents in districts packed by the opposing party, winning is tough, regardless of gender. In 2010, the number of women declined in Congress for the first time in 30 years, while first-time wins for women in New Mexico, South Carolina and Oklahoma put women at seven governorships nationally.  Susan Page reported at the time in USA Today that “47 Republican and 91 Democratic women are on the ballot for the House, along with six Republicans and nine Democratic women for the Senate. … Both totals set records.”

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