What the “wave of women” elected in 2018 looks like in the 2019 Texas Legislature

Seeing a baby girl on the Texas House floor has become commonplace this session. Well, one baby in particular. State Rep. Erin Zwiener's 8-month-old daughter, Lark, can often be heard cooing as resolutions are read. Zwiener, of Driftwood, is among a class of 10 Democratic women who were sworn in at the beginning of the session.

While many called the 2018 midterm elections the "year of the woman," only Texas Democrats made substantial gains. Republican women actually saw their overall ranks diminish. Some members, including state Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Richardson, point to a need for the party to better advertise all it does for women as a way to attract both female voters and candidates.

Texas elected its first woman to the Legislature in 1923. In the decades since, a handful of women elected in the 1970s and 1980s have endured. And members like state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, have set the tone for how women should be treated.

Watch the latest episode of our mini-documentary series, “Under the Dome.”

Subscribe to our YouTube page and never miss an episode.