Newly elected District 45 state Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, who will represent both Hays County and Blanco County, was sworn in Jan. 8 at the state Capitol on the first day of the 86th legislative session.

Zwiener, who campaigned while pregnant and was accompanied by her 6-month-old daughter at the ceremony, was elected in a year that saw exceptional success for women candidates at many levels of government, and one of the 12 Democrats who took a Texas House seat previously occupied by a Republican.

In a December interview with Community Impact Newspaper, Zwiener said the historical significance of the moment is not lost on her.

“When I was a kid growing up in Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison was a senator; Ann Richards was the governor; Madeleine Albright was secretary of state,” she said. “I got to see multiple women in power. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was the first generation of girls to see that. I now have a 6-month-old daughter. I want her to grow up as a part of the first generation of girls that actually sees equal representation.”

Zwiener also discussed potential legislation on school funding and expanding voting access for college students as well as her plans to push back against the Permian Highway Pipeline.