There are more women serving in Congress than ever before as well as women running for president. There are also women not in Congress who are just as efficacious as lawmakers and they influence today’s politics and policies.
Fortune Magazine compiled a list of the most powerful women and gaged those women by the power granted in their position, political influence on policy and conversation, and career trajectory. The magazine lists 25 women in total and below are the top ten with some names you see in the daily headlines, and others who are not in the limelight, but powerful nonetheless. The Fortune paragraphs below have been paraphrased and/or elaborated with additional commentary. Direct quotes from the Fortune article are in quotation marks.
The list starts out with Speaker Pelosi as the number one most powerful woman in politics. She’s also the most powerful woman in America.
1. Speaker Nancy Pelosi
1. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): Longtime California House Rep. Pelosi proves women can hold office at the highest levels in the country and have no problem taking on anyone—including the president. Pelosi will step on his oft corrupt agenda anytime she deems necessary. She is the first woman to be named Speaker of the House and she has held the position twice. Pelosi recently called to open formal impeachment hearings on Donald Trump. Should he be removed from office for various crimes, Vice President Mike Pence may go with him and that would put Pelosi in the Oval Office. She proves every day she could not only handle the presidency, but she can also triumph while working hard “for the people.”
Elizabeth Warren
2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): The Massachusetts lawmaker is the second woman to be a frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary race. Neck and neck with former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Warren not only talks about what she will do if she wins, but she also lays out the plans. She ferociously goes after big banks and corporations and has Wall Street scared. And they should be.
Kamala Harris
3. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): The next woman in line for the Democratic primary race is Kamala Harris. Although she stays behind Warren in polls and fundraising, she remains a “powerful contender” for the presidency. Being of black and South Asian descent, if Harris were to win the Oval Office, she would not only be the first woman, but also the first woman of color to hold the most prestigious and powerful office in the world.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
4. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.): Often referred to as “AOC” the 29-year-old New Yorker continues to be an activist and has soared into the heart of Washington circles. As a freshman in Congress, she has made a name for herself by fearlessly breaking boundaries in both parties. Fortune says, “No one has been more effective when it comes to enraging the right—or energizing the next wave of challengers on the left.”
Elise Stefanik
5. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.):
The New York representative is one of 21 congresswomen to take a GOP seat, compared to the 106 women in the Democratic party. Stefanik is the youngest Republican woman in Congress. “The Harvard-educated moderate now serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she’s the chair for the subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, among others.” The lawmaker is now on her third term and has vowed to enlist more women into the GOP. The party clearly needs the help of women like Stepanik.
6. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.): The House Representative from Wyoming is another strong voice in the Republican Party who not only causes waves of dissent by Democrats but also challenges GOP doctrine such as “calling for the resignation of fellow Republican Rep. Steve King following his controversial comments about rape and incest.” On the other side of the coin, Cheney is a hardcore Trump supporter, whose party has proven again and again to put party over people.
Kyrsten Sinema
7. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.): The Democratic Senator from Arizona is the first in her party to win an open Senate seat in the state since 1976. She occasionally breaks the norms of her the Democratic party on issues that include immigration.
Lisa Murkowski
8. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): House Representative Murkowski is a longstanding Republican lawmaker from Alaska. She is now the Republican chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Murkowski is also known to buck the GOP agenda and reach over the aisle from time to time but does so “with greater security than fellow swing vote Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who’s gearing up for a tough reelection fight.”
Stacey Abrams
9. Stacey Abrams: After losing her gubernatorial race in Georgia by a slim margin, Abrams seems to have soared and made a stronger presence in today’s politics. She was asked to give Democratic rebuttal to Trump’s 2019 State of the Union and won accolades for her commentary. “Her name has been floated in connection with everything from the Senate to the presidency, though the most likely bet in the short term appears to be the veep spot on the 2020 Democratic ticket.” Abrams’s work through her organization Fair Fight might have the longest-lasting political impact—protecting all Americans’ right to vote is what will really change the face of politics.
10. Stephanie Schriok: Schriock is the president of the powerful organization Emily’s List, which helps to place pro-choice Democratic women in office by offering guidance, endorsements and financial resources. Led by Schriock, Emily’s List has been one of the most outstanding Democratic organizations since the late 1980s and intends to put $20 million into the 2020 elections in efforts to help turn Republican legislative seats Democratic.
There are numerous powerful women in politics today. The above only represent ten. To see all 25 that Fortune has chosen, check out their list here. With voices and votes, Americans clearly see women as mighty and beneficial to the political arena. May the trend continue and grow.
