Women’s role in politics has grown tremendously in recent years, and today we celebrate Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, Ohio, both of whom have set records for longevity.
Senator Mikulski already had passed former Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine in Senate longevity a few months ago, upon beginning her fifth term in the Senate. But now, just today, she has become the longest serving woman in Congressional history, as she has now served more than 35 years in both houses of Congress, with 12 years in the House of Representatives, and now more than 24 years in the US Senate. She, therefore, has surpassed Republican Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachuetts who served nearly 36 years in the House from 1925-1960!
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has served longer than any woman in the history of the House of Representatives, with nearly 30 years service, except for Rogers. She is also tied for fourth longest serving woman in Congress with California Senator Barbara Boxer, behind Mikulski, Rogers, and Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, who has announced her retirement at the end of this year.
All of these women–Mikulski, Rogers, Kaptur, Boxer, and Snowe, as well as Smith, are testimonials to the growing role and influence of women in Congress, with only Rogers and Smith, from an entirely different era and Republican Party, being a non Democrat!