You could say it's the year of the woman, at least it is so far in the Upstate New York political scene.
"One of the effects of having a woman at the top of the ticket is to bring more women into politics and I think this is just the beginning of what we'll see particularly on the democratic side," Syracuse University Maxwell School political science professor Shana Gadarian said.
Tuesday night, women were victorious in three upstate congressional primaries. Democrats Zephyr Teachout and Colleen Deacon won their races in the 19th and 24th congressional districts. Republican Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney defeated her rivals in the 22nd congressional district to take on Democrat Kim Myers.
"When women are asked to run multiple times, it often takes 7 to 11 times for a women to agree to run after she is asked that they win just as often as men do. When women run, women win. So this year we're going to see that dynamic play out," Democratic Women of the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes president Margagrite Rossi said.
These women aren't just changing the political landscape, Gadarian says they're also affecting the way politicians interact with one another.
"Women tend to govern in difference ways," Gadarian said. "They tend to work together more than men do. They co-sponsor legislation more so I think women change not only the policies that you get out but the institutions themselves by the way in which they govern."
Currently there's 104 women in congress, a number Gadarian expects to continue to climb.