Last Night, History Didn't Announce Itself

It Just Happened.

I’ve spent most of my life watching elections. As a campaign volunteer, to campaign manager to head of communications for a national political party.

Trust me when I say: last night wasn’t routine. It wasn’t just an off-year election where the political class searches for omens about the next presidential cycle. Something shifted — and if you weren’t paying close attention, you might have missed the magnitude of it. And no, this is not a column about what happened in New York City. That’s for another day.

Last night, in two states I know well — Virginia and New Jersey — voters did something that should have happened ages ago: they chose women to run the place.

Photo by LSE Library on Unsplash

In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger didn’t just win — she became the first woman ever elected governor in the Commonwealth’s long history. And she did it in a race where both parties put women at the top of the ticket. For Virginia politics, that’s a big deal.

Then there’s New Jersey that prides itself on being tough, blunt, and ahead of the curve — yet somehow has only elected one woman as governor in its entire history. Until now.

And here’s the part that struck me most:

No one I talked to — not on text chains, not on the ground, not in the DC chatter — was treating these wins like “history for history’s sake.” There was no novelty in their candidacies. No asterisk. No “first woman governor” footnote that overshadowed the work.

It felt normal. As it should.

Women didn’t win last night because voters decided to “make history.”

They won because the voters believed they were the best candidates for the job — period.

Maybe it’s because voters are exhausted. Tired of the noise. Ready for those who might lead with clarity instead of chaos. I hope it’s because we’ve finally reached the point where women don’t have to campaign as a “first,” but simply as the best.

Political change doesn’t usually happen quietly. But last night’s shift was subtle — almost stealthy — in the best possible way. Chuck Todd confirmed what I thought to be true when I joined him and Chris Cillizza on their election night show last night — the rise of elected women will come from the Governor’s offices.

As a nearly 30 year female political operative — I can’t wait for it to continue to happen.