100th woman in Congress to be sworn in

Rep.-elect Alma Adams (D-N.C.) will become the 100th woman in the 113th Congress after she is sworn in Wednesday evening.

Adams will fill the vacant seat of former Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.), who resigned in January to become the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. She will serve out the remaining two months of Watt’s term in addition to representing North Carolina’s 12th District in the 114th Congress.

{mosads}”It’s been double for me all the way. I’ve had two primaries, two generals [elections] and I’m now going to have two swearing-ins,” Adams said in an interview in her temporary office for the next few weeks in Rayburn House Office Building.

Adams said she hopes that the increased number of women in Congress will help lead to reasoned, bipartisan dealmaking.

“We’ve good problem-solvers. When you look at what happened here with the shutdown, and who ultimately came to the table to resolve that: women on both sides of the aisle,” Adams said.

Adams argued that the governor of North Carolina should have called a special election earlier this year so that the district was still represented for most of 2014.

“To go 10 months without being represented is just unfair and certainly not what democracy is all about,” Adams said. “There should have been a special election at a special time on a special day in a special way. Because the people of the 12th District are special.”

There are currently 79 female House members and 20 female senators. Once Adams is sworn in, there will be 100 women total in Congress. There are also three non-voting female delegates in the House.

Two other members-elect will be sworn in Wednesday evening: Dave Brat (R-Va.) and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.).