United States of America

By Susan Chira

Conventional wisdom on women and politics goes like this:

Rashida Tlaib, running in a tough six-way Democratic primary for a House seat in Michigan and positioning herself to be the first Muslim woman in Congress, was thrilled when a man who champions Muslim candidates across the country donated just under $1,000 to her campaign.

Then she found out he had given three times as much — $2,700, the maximum allowed under federal law — to Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim man in Congress.

The 1992 election is often referred to as "The Year of the Woman," as more women were elected to Congress than any year before. This year is set to be another record-breaking year by the same measure, and several women are poised to make history due to their race, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.