THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

The absolute nerve of these women, running for Congress ad thinking they can beat long entrenched Republicans. You would think they believe this is some kind of democracy. Four women currently running in New York State have found that a great many people also believe as they do and are showing their support.

In most any other election year, the four female Democratic candidates in New York trying to unseat House Republicans would draw little more than curiosity.

But this year, as a record number of women are running for Congress, propelled by both a blue wave and the #MeToo movement, is clearly different.

In the last three months alone, donors sent millions of dollars in contributions to the four women, led by Dana Balter, who received $1.5 million in her bid to defeat Representative John Katko in the Syracuse area.

Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report no longer lists any of the nine Republican-held seats as “solid Republican.” The last holdout — Representative Tom Reed, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, who is facing Tracy Mitrano, one of the four female Democratic hopefuls — had his seat downgraded to “likely Republican” on Tuesday.

Likewise, the Cook Report had earlier changed its assessment of the Katko seat from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” and had shifted a seat held by Representative Peter King, a 13-term incumbent from Long Island, from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican.”

New York is one of nine states with four or more female Democrats challenging Republican House incumbents, trailing only Texas, California, Florida and Ohio, according to Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics. And of the four women in New York, all but one, Tedra Cobb, a former county legislator who is taking on Representative Elise Stefanik, are making their first runs for public office.

Four women seeking an opportunity to represent districts that need a change and some of them may well do it this year. The momentum is shifting their way.