From NPR, I'm Sam Sanders. It's been a minute. Today is Tuesday, October 23rd. We are two weeks away from Election Day.

And when it comes to Election Day 2018, I think that I have been hearing for months is this.

A record number of women. A record number of women. A record number of women are running this year.

All these women running, I think it seems everyone is saying that 2018 is a year of the woman.

Record numbers of female candidates, data indicates female voters are incredibly fired up.

The Me Too movement is on a lot of folks minds as they prepare to walk into voting booths.

And the resistance of President Trump in many ways is fueled by women.

So today we're going to talk about it. It is 2018 a year of the woman.

And if so, how? This episode I'm interviewing not one but two female candidates for higher office about what it means to run as a woman right now.

Republican Elizabeth Hanks, she's running for Congress in California. She is a 33 year old daughter of Cambodian refugees.

Also talking to Democrat Stacey Abrams, she is running in Georgia to become the first black female governor ever in America.

You'll hear from both of them in just a bit. But first I wanted to figure out exactly what we mean when we call 2018 the year of the woman.

So I called it my friend and NPR colleague Danielle Kurtz Laban. She's been covering women and politics all year.

Danielle Kurtz Laban, how are you? I am great. How are things in California?

Delightful per always. I imagine. Yeah.

So I brought you here to talk about the year of the woman, which is what everyone is calling these 2018 midterms.

Not me, but yeah, that's people. We can get into that.

I want to. But first, what do people who do use the phrase here of the woman mean when they say that?

Look, first of all, one thing that I've been saying this year and it's true is that there is a

an absolutely record breaking movement of women running for office this year.

Whether it's the US House, US Senate, governorship, statewide elective office, women have absolutely not just broken records.

They have absolutely blown past old records in really bonkers ways because the political science turned for it.

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