03/12/2026
Celebrating ! Here’s to the women who have made history in the Commonwealth of Virginia! These women have been from every different political persuasion and different personal background! This is so thoughtfully written, so I wanted to share it today! As a woman-owned small business, I honor, support, respect and love photographing women and girls!
As the ninth woman and the first Black woman to represent our Commonwealth in Congress, I stand on the shoulders and build upon the legacies of the women who came before me.
It took Virginia nearly 400 years to elect a woman to Congress. After serving in the Virginia House of Delegates, Leslie Byrne became the first woman to represent Congress in 1993. Leslie grasped the impact of breaking that glass ceiling when a group of girl scouts visited her office and one asked, “Can boys be in Congress too?” Byrne spent the rest of her career fighting for working families and consumer protections.
Jo Ann Davis grew up in a trailer park in Hampton and never imagined running for office. She went on to become the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Virginia, serving the First District from 2001 to 2007 with a focus on military families, national defense and Chesapeake Bay communities.
Thelma Drake arrived in Norfolk at 17 with her first husband, a Navy serviceman. After their divorce, she raised two children on her own, built a successful career in real estate and went on to represent Virginia’s Second Congressional District from 2005 to 2009, where she fought for the military families and service members stationed across Hampton Roads.
From her internship with Senator Ted Kennedy to becoming Chief Investigative Counsel on the Oversight Committee, Barbara Comstock became the first woman to represent Virginia’s Tenth District from 2015 to 2019. While in Congress, she championed women in STEM, lead anti-sexual harassment reform and earned her place as one of the top ten most effective lawmakers in Congress.
Elaine Luria spent 20 years in the Navy as one of the first women in its nuclear power program, and commanded a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors before representing Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2023. In Congress, she became Vice Chair of the Armed Services Committee and served on the January 6th Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol.
As a child, Abigail Spanberger wrote her diary in code and dreamt of becoming a spy. In 2006, she started as a case officer in the CIA, gathering intelligence on nuclear threats and terrorism before going on to represent Virginia’s 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025. This year, Her Excellency was sworn in as the 75th governor of Virginia — the first woman to lead our Commonwealth.
As a prosecutor, advocate for abused children and State Senator representing Loudoun County, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton built a career around protecting others before representing Virginia’s Tenth Congressional District from 2019 to 2025. After being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, she continued serving with resilience and became the first member of Congress to speak on the House floor using an AI-generated voice.
Congresswoman Jen Kiggans spent a decade as a Navy helicopter pilot, completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf. She later used her GI bill to become a nurse practitioner, raised four kids and served in the Senate of Virginia. She now represents Virginia’s Second District, representing the home of the world’s largest naval base.
I am proud to carry on the legacy of and work alongside such extraordinary women who represent the Commonwealth. From Leslie Byrne to today, I will continue to fight to ensure the next generation of women have every opportunity to succeed, regardless of their backgrounds.
