*By Max Godnick and Christian Smith* A [record number of women](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/08/women-rule-midterms-443267) are running for political office, and one congresswoman thinks America has one man to thank. "The best recruiter we've had, his name is President Donald Trump," Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar. "After the election in 2016, we have seen women agitated," she said. "They're raring to go." Frankel, who has represented Florida's 21st Congressional District since 2013, cited 50 female Democratic candidates running in competitive swing districts, and predicted that her party could have between 25 and 40 new congresswomen in its ranks in 2019. "Many of these women have never been in politics," she said. "Many are mothers ー they do not want their children growing up in the kind of environment they see that this president is creating." Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) echoed Frankel's optimism in a separate interview on Cheddar Wednesday. "We're going to elect women in record numbers," Maloney said; America is entering the "decade of the woman," she added. In total, 257 women won party nominations for the House of Representatives and Senate for this year's midterms ー 235 for the House and 22 for the Senate. For Frankel, it's not just a matter of winning and losing. Frankel is the co-chair of the Bipartisan Women's Caucus and has championed legislation for women's rights, including the "Keeping Girls in School Act" and the "Pregnant Workers Fairness Act." But only a fraction of the policy proposals garner support from both sides of the aisle. The biggest roadblock to bipartisan cooperation among women in Congress might be the lack of women across the aisle. "Unfortunately for the Republicans they do not really have that many women," Frankel said. There are just 23 Republican women serving in the House of Representatives, compared to the body's 61 Democrats. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/are-women-more-bipartisan-than-men).
