It was not until the 2018 midterm election that Rep. Kay Granger realized how seriously the Republican party needed to recruit more female candidates.

In a record-breaking year for Democrats, 106 Democratic women were sworn into Congress, and one day all of the women in the House of Representatives were sitting together.

The Republican women did not even fill up a row, Granger said.

“We got behind,” Granger said. “Republicans got behind, and I certainly hated to see that we weren’t represented. … I took it personally.”

In 1996, Granger became the first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the U.S. House. Twenty-four years later, Texas has just elected its second female Republican representative: Rep.-elect Beth Van Duyne.

The former Irving mayor won a tough race for the seat left open by retiring Republican Kenny Marchant in Texas’ 24th Congressional District against Democrat Candace Valenzuela. The House seat, which includes part of Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties, was considered one of those most likely to flip in the 2020 election.

The district flipped in the presidential race, with President-elect Joe Biden winning a district President Donald Trump won in 2016.

But Van Duyne held onto the long-time GOP stronghold, breaking the 24-year drought for female Republicans from Texas. Her election was part of a banner year for the GOP, with at least 36 Republican women set to serve in Congress next year.

“Women in general have been hesitant to run for positions because a lot of us could talk ourselves out of it,” Van Duyne said in an interview. “We think that we’re not qualified and that we’ve got other responsibilities, including taking care of our kids, taking care of our careers, taking care of our parents, but I think it has been a very supportive message that we have been sending out.”

Better late than never

The Republican Party made a push in 2020 to get female candidates involved, and to get them elected — especially in swing districts. Republican women beat out 10 out of 13 Democratic incumbents who lost their seats, according to The Washington Post.

It takes a village to run a successful campaign, and the race for the 24th Congressional District attracted donors in both parties across the country.

Van Duyne said the support from the Republican Party helped her campaign get to the finish line.

“The Republican leadership has been very proactive in reaching out to give women the support that they need to be able to run for these offices … not just with endorsements but also helping us financially, to be able to succeed by having very strong campaigns,” Van Duyne said.

Throughout Van Duyne’s campaign, she received endorsements from prominent Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who appointed her in 2017 to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Houston Rep. Dan Crenshaw.

“Having more diverse experiences at the table leads to better decision-making, better policy-making,” Van Duyne said. “And I think that the Republican leadership has been very proactive in reaching out to give women the support that they need to be able to run for these offices.”

Beating the odds

Van Duyne, 50, is no stranger to beating the odds. She left home when she was 17 and worked various jobs to pay her rent for three years. Eventually, she put herself through college at Cornell University with the help of student loans.

“It was a struggle,” Van Duyne said. “I was getting paid a little over $3 an hour and working paycheck to paycheck, living paycheck to paycheck. … I paid for my own way through college, and then I struggled for 10 years afterwards to pay back those loans, but I think you become much more empathetic and sympathetic the more voices you listen to and get to know.”

Van Duyne has never been afraid of getting her hands dirty.

“When she goes into any job, she gives it 110%, and she is not afraid of work,” said Glynis Chester, president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and a Frisco resident who has followed Van Duyne’s career closely. “She is one of the hardest workers I have ever known.”

Van Duyne says her career has been inspired by her children and the betterment of her community. She was thrust into politics when her daughter Katie, who had nine eye surgeries before her first birthday, was unable to enjoy an Irving park with no shade. Van Duyne worked to raise $200,000 for a playground that would be more accessible to her daughter.

But that was just the beginning of her drive to get things done. When she was dissatisfied by the way her City Council representative handled her request to deal with a zoning problem, Van Duyne campaigned against him at 32 with two young children in tow. And she beat him.

Van Duyne was elected the first female Irving mayor in 2011, after she had served on the City Council for six years. But being a woman is only one part of who Van Duyne is, and she doesn’t want that to be why voters choose her.

“I don’t want to be pigeonholed into being the female candidate,” Van Duyne said in an interview. “I want someone to vote for me, someone to support me, because I’m the strongest candidate.”

The path for female Republicans

Van Duyne’s election already is inspiring more efforts to increase the number of Texas Republican women in office.

The Texas Federation of Republican Women is hearing from women interested in running for office who want to apply for the campaign school, which won’t start until next year.

“There’s a lot of interest out there, and it started really early this year,” Chester said. “The more women we have, the more women see success and want to follow in those footsteps.”

To Granger, it’s not about having as many female representatives as the Democrats, it’s about recruiting as many people possible who bring perspectives that can add to the conversation.

“It’s not my goal to fill up one row,” Granger said. “My goal is to fill up as many rows as we can.”