"Democratic women in the Senate were the first line of defense against the Republican war on women," added EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock in a statement. "Voters saw the role they played, and they trust them to lead on the issues that matter to women and families. That's why they sent every single Democratic woman up for re-election to the Senate back to Washington. It’s an incredible testament to the good work these women do in Washington."

Issues that disproportionately affect women -- from reproductive rights to Medicare to jobs -- were front and center of the 2012 campaign. McCaskill, in particular, was facing a steep uphill climb to reelection, until her opponent, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), caused a national uproar over his remark that women who have been victims of "legitimate rape" are physically able to prevent themselves from getting pregnant.

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Facts About Women Legislators

Women Leadership is . . . on the Rise!
The greatest rising force in American politics today is not a political party, nor is it a lobbying community, it is women. Thirty years ago, women held a mere 10% of all state legislative seats in the country, today they hold 24% of 7,382 seats nationwide. Currently 17 women currently serve in the US Senate and 73 serve in the US House of Representatives, while 74 women hold statewide elective office including 6 state governorships. Women chair numerous committees, they influence policy and they understand the importance of building bipartisan coalitions in support of the nation's most pressing concerns to ensure widespread change in both thought and policy on a variety of issues.

Congress:
Women currently hold 16.8% (90) of the seats in the 112th Congress.

Senate - women hold 17% (17) of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate.
House – women hold 16.8% (73) of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Statewide Elective Offices:
Women hold 23.3% (74) of the 317 statewide elected executive offices across the country.

Governors – 6
Lieutenant Governors – 11
Attorneys General – 7
Secretaries of State – 12
State Legislatures:
Currently 23.7% (1,747) if of the 7,382 state legislators in the nation are women. Since 1971, the number of women serving in the state legislatures has more than quintupled!

Women hold 21.7% (428) of the 1,971 state senate seats.
Women hold 24.4% (1,319) of the 5,411 state house seats.
Municipal Offices:
The number of women serving as mayors, on city councils, and as county commissioners and supervisors is on the rise. As a result of the large number of offices held at the local level, data is still being compiled, however key statistics include:

Among the 100 largest cities in the country, 12 have women mayors.
Of the 252 mayors of U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 and over, 17.6% (44) are women.
Of the 1,248 mayors of U.S. cities with populations of 30,000 and above, 17.4% (217) are women