New York Times – WASHINGTON — When Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, beat Scott Brown to win re-election on Tuesday, her supporters saw history being made — although not by Ms. Shaheen.

“Scott Brown made feminist history,” crowed an email from Emily’s List, the political action committee, noting that Mr. Brown also lost to Elizabeth Warren in 2012. As Stephanie Schriock, the committee’s president, said Wednesday: “He lost two Senate races in two states against two Democratic women. That’s pretty awesome.”

The Shaheen victory was a rare bright spot for Democratic women in a mostly gloomy year. While Republican women fared somewhat better — in Iowa, Joni Ernst rode her biography as a pig-castrating “farm girl” into the Senate, and Mia Love of Utah became the first black female Republican elected to the House — 2014 was hardly the year of the woman.

Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, spoke after defeating Representative Bruce Braley, a Democrat. Video by KCRG, via The Associated Press on Publish Date November 5, 2014. Photo by Eric Thayer for The New York Times.

A rundown: Of 15 women running for the Senate, just four won. There are now 20 female senators. Next year, there will still be 20, unless Senator Mary L. Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat, survives a difficult runoff, which would bring the number to 21.

via Women in Both Parties Are Disappointed by Their Modest Election Gains – NYTimes.com.