These Black Women Running in November Could Make Political History

With midterm elections only months away, several Black women have a great chance to make history. It’s safe to say this election cycle has been nothing short of unprecedented. From White House pressure prompting nationwide redistricting efforts to several high-profile candidates facing early defeats in their races, there’s absolutely no way to predict what will come next.

But Black women always rise to a challenge. In the case of these notable women looking to make their mark during the November midterms, it’s time we all learn their names!

Pamela Stevenson, U.S. Senate

In Kentucky, a Black woman could be the next person to fill longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell’s seat after his retirement this year. State House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and attorney. If she wins, she’d make history as the first Black woman to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

Pamela Stevenson’s Road to Redemption

Before Stevenson launched her bid for Senate, the attorney unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic nominee in the 2023 race for attorney general of Kentucky, according to the Lexington Herald Leader. She ultimately lost to current state AG Russell Coleman. Stevenson opened a law firm in southern Indiana after retiring from the Air Force in 2011.

Juliana Stratton, U.S. Senate

Ill. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is on track to make history in her state and throughout the country. After securing the Democratic nomination in the state’s March primary election, Stratton will go on to face Republican Don Tracy, but her road up until this point has not been an easy one.

Juliana Stratton’s Fight to the Primaries

Stratton faced another Black woman, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, for the Democratic nomination in the primaries. When speaking to reporters after her win, Stratton said, “The idea of three means there’s that much more of an opportunity to make sure that when policy is being made, when legislation is being passed, that the voices of our community [are] right there at the table.” She added, ‘”We don’t want policy to just be made for us. We want it to be made by us and with us, and that’s going to help that to happen.”

If she wins in November, Stratton would become only the second Black woman to serve in the Senate from Illinois. She’d also be only the sixth Black woman to serve in the Senate.

Catherine Fleming Bruce, U.S. Senate

Catherine Fleming Bruce is looking to usurp longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. Fleming Bruce would be the state’s first Black woman if elected. She’d also become the state’s second Black senator after Tim Scott.

Bruce Battles Sen. Tim Scott

Bruce announced her first campaign for Senate on Jan. 17, 2022 – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But in order to upset Sen. Scott, she first battled Democratic candidate Krystle Matthews. In a June 14 primary, Bruce walked away with a slim majority of votes – 34.7 percent to Matthews’ 33.2 percent – but according to state law, a nominee must win with over 50 percent.

This eventually led to a runoff where Bruce was ultimately defeated. Matthews faced Scott in November 2022 and lost.

Ayanna Pressley, House of Representatives

Mass. Rep. Ayanna Pressley certainly shocked folks when she announced she wouldn’t challenge Republican Sen. Ed Markey, 79, for his seat in the Senate. Instead, the Black woman is seeking reelection to the House, a seat she first won in 2018.

“Hearing from so many people from throughout our Commonwealth encouraging me to run for the United States Senate was deeply humbling and a testament to the strength of our movement,” she said in a December statement.

Ayanna Pressley Shuts Down Senate Rumors

Although recent Suffolk University/Boston Globe polls showed her nearly tied with Markey in the upcoming Democratic primary, the representative ultimately chose to prioritize her family.

“It would be an honor to serve the whole Commonwealth—but with our daughter in her last year at home before college and a district that has been in the crosshairs of this White House, I am certain that the Massachusetts 7th is where I belong in this moment,” she wrote. “Now, more than ever, is the time to dig deep, to lean into mutual aid, and to use every tool available to stand in the gap in defense of our neighbors and our democracy,” Pressley continued.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia Governor

Keisha Lance Bottoms once served as Atlanta’s 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022. But after leaving her post to serve in the Biden administration, Bottoms is back in town… and she wants to be the next governor of Georgia. She played a key role in helping the city recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yolanda Flowers, Alabama Governor

Yolanda Flowers, a Birmingham native, has launched yet another campaign to win the governor’s seat in Alabama. As a member of the NAACP, Flowers wants to replace incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who is term-limited.

For Flowers, this race is more than just redemption from her unsuccessful 2022 campaign. She said, “If there be any hope of LOVE, if there be any fellowship in the spirit of unity, let’s fulfill the joy that we be likeminded, having the same love of equity and bowels of mercy, then nothing will hinder us from making our state a healed and forward-moving state.”

Janeese Lewis George, DC Mayor

Washington, D.C. isn’t a state and therefore doesn’t have representation in Congress. D.C. voters are tuned in for the city’s high-stakes mayoral race. Of the four candidates running, one Black woman, Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, is looking to replace the vacant seat left by Mayor Muriel Bowser, the city’s first Black woman mayor, Fox 5 DC reported.

Yaida Ford, DC Mayor

In addition to George, Yaida Ford is a respected civil rights attorney who also tossed her name into the race. Ford and George are running against Gary Goodweather and Former D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie.

Jasmine Clark, Georgia Congress

The race to the Georgia state Capitol is getting crowded as dozens of candidates launch their campaigns. Of the notable figures, State Rep. Jasmine Clark will challenge state Rep. David Scott, 80, in the May primary race.

As a microbiologist and a nursing school professor at Emory University, Clark would be the first woman with a Ph.D. in science if elected. She’s also positioning herself as a strong force against Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“At a time when you have RFK Jr. running our public health, Dr. Oz running health care as well, and them trying to confirm Casey Means, who’s never even served as a doctor, we need people who actually can bring that perspective to Washington, D.C.,” Clark said.