At just 30 years old, Republican Elise Stefanik has become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
The race to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Bill Owens, between Stefanik and Democrat Aaron Woolf, seemed like it would be close at first. But late polls showed Stefanik leading by double digits.
Stefanik faced sexism from her opponent and his campaign during the race, including a recent comment from Woolf during a debate, in which he suggested Stefanik had never done any work with her hands. Stefanik handled herself like a professional, shooting back with a concise defense of her work in her family’s plywood business.
Stefanik’s personal relationships were also scrutinized by a Woolf campaign volunteer who seemed keenly interested in whom the young Republican was dating. This line of gutter campaigning backfired badly.
Stefanik has shown not only that Republican women can handle sexist comments thrown at them by Democratic men, but also that millennials can be an important asset in Republican politics.
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