Elise Stefanik, 30, became the youngest woman elected to Congress in the nation's history on Tuesday, winning New York's 21st open district 56-32 against Democrat Aaron Woolf.
"I didn't think I was ever going to run for office," Stefanik, a Republican,
told Business Insider in the lead-up to Election Day.
"But I was disappointed in the 2012 elections. I think we need new candidates who are able to talk about a positive vision to getting our economy moving again. Specifically in upstate New York, where young people are leaving in historic numbers for lack of jobs."
ABC News reported that Stefanik is a rising star in the Republican Party, and no stranger to politics.
As part of George W. Bush's administration, she worked on the Domestic Policy Council, and helped with debate preparation in 2012 when Rep. Paul Ryan ran for vice president alongside Mitt Romney. That year she also helped create the platform for the Republican National Committee.
After the election, Stefanik moved to her family's vacation home in Lake Champlain, working on marketing and management for the family-owned Premium Plywood Products.
Before Stefanik, former Brooklyn Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman had held the record for youngest congresswoman since her swearing in in 1973 at age 31.
"I hope my record is broken faster than hers,"
Stefanik told the New York Post.
Stefanik is not the only young female to set a record this election cycle.
Republican Mia Love also won her congressional race in Utah, making her the first black Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House.
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