All eyes were on Hillary Clinton to lead the way for American women, to break the proverbial glass ceiling and proclaim the arrival of the woman on the biggest stage in the world. While she may have won the popular votes against her opponent, the American electoral college went for her opponent who eventually was declared the American president-elect.

But apart from Hillary Clinton, there were a few women who were on the ballot on November 8 and went ahead to create records in their own right.

Ilhan Omar
Minnesota voters have elected the first Somali-American Muslim woman legislator in a state where the uneasy assimilation of large numbers of Somali refugees became an issue in the US presidential campaign.
Ilhan Omar, a 33-year-old former refugee who wears the hijab, ran uncontested for a seat in the legislature of the Midwestern state, home to a sizeable Somali population.
Her victory is notable in a campaign season that saw Republican Donald Trump disparage Muslim immigrants and refugees before going on to win the White House.

“Even though his message is supposed to function as a fear element in making sure that we don’t vote, so we don’t see ourselves as part of the American system, it’s had the opposite effect,” Omar told AFP about Trump.
Trump ended up losing Minnesota to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton 45 to 47 percent.

Pramila Jayapal
Pramila Jayapal became the first Indian-American woman elected to Congress. She beat her opponent, Democrat Brady Walkinshaw, in a landslide victory, winning 57 percent of the vote to his 43 percent.

In a statement to Twitter on Tuesday after she was declared a winner, Jayapal wrote, “Thank you for your support, faith, and confidence, and for standing up for the values of our country – values that welcomed me as a 16-year-old immigrant and let me serve as the next Congresswoman from the 7th Congressional District.”

Kamala Harris, California
Kamala Harris like Jayapal is of Indian descent. She is the first Indian-American and the second black woman ever elected to the Senate. She was the early favorite, earning endorsements from President Obama and former California senator Barbara Boxer.

Aware of her own background, Harris promised to stand up for immigrants, even in the face of a Trump presidency. “I intend to fight for a state that has the largest number of immigrants documented and undocumented of any state in this country and do everything we can to bring them justice and dignity and fairness under the law,” she said.

Tammy Duckworth
Thailand-born Democratic US Rep Tammy Duckworth unseatedRepublican US Sen Mark Kirk in the US elections. The victory makes Duckworth the first Thailand-born senator in the US upper house.

The, daughter of a Thai mother and American father, two-term congresswoman entered the race a heavy favourite, as Illinois has longbacked Democrats for statewide office, especially in presidential election years.

Ms Duckworth is an Iraq War combat veteran who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting crashed during a mission.

“Just as I try every day to live up to the sacrifice my buddies made to carry me off that battlefield, I will go to work in the Senate looking to honour the sacrifice and quiet dignity of all those Illinoisans who are facing challenges of their own,” she said.
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“I believe in an America that doesn’t give up on anyone who hasn’t given up on themselves.”

Stephanie Murphy
Stephanie Murphy, the first Vietnamese-American woman to be elected to Congress, defeated Republican John Mica in one of the closest and most expensive congressional races in the nation, according to the Washington Post. Murphy said she decided to run after the Orlando shooting, when polls showed Trump had made Mica vulnerable, despite his 23 years in the seat.

Murphy’s campaign spent heavily on ads linking Mica to Trump, particularly in the areas of women’s health and gun control. Although she served as a national-security specialist in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the wake of 9/11, Murphy doesn’t have any prior political experience.
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