Image copyright Harris County Democratic Party Image caption The 19 women were elected to county judgeships on Tuesday 
 
 A photograph of 19 black female judges in one Texas county has been widely celebrated. 
 
 It is the largest number of black women seen on the ballot in Harris County, says their campaign website. 
 
 The picture, dubbed the Houston 19, taken in August when the women assembled as part of their "Harris Black Girl Magic" campaign for office, trended on Reddit and Twitter. 
 
 Seventeen were elected on Tuesday, in addition to two already in post. 
 
 LaShawn A Williams posted the picture on Facebook, writing: "Never did I imagine that the day I decided to run to be judge, I'd become a part of a club of phenomenal black women, sisters-in-law, gifted, brilliant, strong - everything I hope to be!" 
 
 Their victory adds to the long lists of firsts across the nation, with the most diverse range of candidates ever elected to Congress, including 111 women. 
 
 Using #Houston19, many celebrated the election of officials they believe more closely reflect the communities in Texas they represent. 
 
 Others said it was a credit to Texan diversity and character, something not always portrayed in popular culture. 
 
 The women ran together on a Democratic ticket, and they appeared on posters around the county with the slogan "Let's Make History" 
 
 With 4.5 million people, Harris county is the largest in Texas, and the third largest in the US. It has a diverse population with 42 % Hispanic, 30% white and 17% black. 
 
 Elected country judges in Texas have judicial and administrative duties, including presiding over minor criminal cases and small civil cases. 
 
 Most of the new judges were born and educated in Houston and have spent at least a decade working in local law firms. 
 
 In her bid for election, Germaine Tanner, elected to the 311th Family Court, described visiting inmates in jails for the Fatherhood Project in Harris County which aims to empower fathers. 
 
 Another of the new judges, Michelle Moore, explained on her website a three-pronged approach of "rehabilitation, mentorship and education" for working with "troubled youth". 
 
 Latosha Lewis Payne told local media: "I think that having an African American judge or having a female judge - those are the kinds of things we bring to the bench. And we bring an understanding of a person who may come from that similar background." 
 
 The 19 black women who won on Tuesday are Sandra Peake, Judge Ramona Franklin, Judge Maria Jackson, Germaine Tanner, Angela Graves-Harrington, Cassandra Holleman, Tonya Jones, Dedra Davis, LaShawn Williams, Latosha Lewis Payne, Linda Dunson, Toria Finch, Erica Hughes, Lucia Bates, Ronnisha Bowman, Michelle Moore, Sharon Burney, Shannon Baldwin, and Lori Chambers Gray. 
 
 By Georgina Rannard, BBC UGC & Social news ||||| While Beto O’Rourke’s bid to oust Ted Cruz for a US Senate seat may have stolen midterms headlines this week, another “Texas miracle” was under way in Harris county, where 19 African American women ran for judge – and all won. 
 
 They campaigned together under the slogan “Black Girl Magic” with the support of the Harris county Democratic party, and united for a pre-election photograph inside a courtroom. 
 
 'Truly the year of the woman': female candidates win in record numbers Read more 
 
 Their victories marked an unprecedented level of success for black female judicial candidates in the county, which includes Houston. With a population of more than 4.5 million, Harris county is bigger than 24 US states. About 70% of the population is non-white. 
 
 According to figures from The Gavel Gap, an analysis by a progressive legal group, the American Constitution Society found white men make up 30% of the Texas population but 58% of state court judges. 
 
 “Equal opportunity for justice regardless of who you are – I think that with having an African American judge, a female judge, a woman judge, those are the kinds of things that we bring to the bench. And we bring an understanding of a person who may come from that similar background,” Latosha Lewis Payne, a judge-elect, told Fox 26 local news. 
 
 “We want to definitely turn Harris county upside down in criminal justice reform,” Erica Hughes, who was elected to a criminal court position, said in a Facebook post. 
 
 Democrats won all 59 judicial races in Harris county in Tuesday’s midterm elections. In one of the most eye-catching and significant results, the longtime incumbent Republican county judge, Ed Emmett – in effect, the county’s chief executive – lost to Lina Hidalgo, a 27-year-old first-time candidate who immigrated from Colombia as a teenager. 
 
 The morning after the election, Glenn Devlin, a juvenile court judge in Houston who is one of the defeated Republicans, reportedly released most of the defendants who appeared in front of him after asking them whether they planned to kill anyone. 
 
 “Apparently he was saying that’s what the voters wanted,” Steven Halpert, a public defender, told the Houston Chronicle. ||||| While many Democrats were disappointed with Beto O’Rourke's loss, the state saw a small wave sweep through on the local level, including these 19 black women judges. 
 
 Did you know that if you lived in Houston, Texas you could vote for an unprecedented 19 BLACK WOMEN to become judges. 19. Women like @a_lwilliams! One week to go! #blackgirlmagic #bluewave #VoteForBeto #BetoForTexas https://t.co/8gieSAEDwm… https://t.co/TUJkgfPyyv 
 
 A group of 19 black women made history Tuesday when they all won elections to become judges in one Texas county during the midterm elections. With a population of more than 4 million people, Harris County is the largest county in Texas and the third largest county in the US. The county effectively turned blue, with all 38 district judges elected being Democrats, including the 19 black women who won. 
 
 
 
 Harris County also elected Democrat Lina Hidalgo, who is an immigrant and just 27 years old, to be their county judge over incumbent Ed Emmett, a Republican who has held the position for more than a decade. The 19 black women who won on Tuesday are Sandra Peake, Judge Ramona Franklin, Judge Maria Jackson, Germaine Tanner, Angela Graves-Harrington, Cassandra Holleman, Tonya Jones, Dedra Davis, LaShawn Williams, Latosha Lewis Payne, Linda Dunson, Toria Finch, Erica Hughes, Lucia Bates, Ronnisha Bowman, Michelle Moore, Sharon Burney, Shannon Baldwin, and Lori Chambers Gray. 
 
 The women and their fans posted on social media about how it was “Black Girl Magic.” View this post on Facebook facebook.com 
 
 LaShawn Williams, who won her district judge election, posted about it two months ago, saying she was “humbled” to be “part of a club of phenomenal Black women, sisters-in-law, gifted, brilliant, strong — everything I hope to be! It is with great pride and excitement that I share this ‘Black Girl Magic’ with you!” 
 
 
 
 “We stopped at Reggae Hut and saw this on the door!” wrote Angela Graves-Harrington just a few days before the election. 
 
 
 
 Though Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke lost to Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz Tuesday, a small blue bump was seen locally across Texas that might have grown out of the movement led by O’Rourke. 
 
 Democrats picked up two seats in the Texas state Senate. Republican state Sen. Konni Burton — a conservative known for being backed by the tea party and for her anti-abortion stance — lost to Beverly Powell, while Republican state Sen. Don Huffines, who was a coauthor of the “bathroom bill” that restricted transgender people’s bathroom access, was defeated by Democrat Nathan Johnson. 
 
 In the Texas House, Democrats — mostly women — flipped at least 11 red seats. State Rep. Matt Rinaldi, who is known as a far-right conservative and once said he would shoot a colleague who threatened him during an immigration protest, lost to Democrat Julie Johnson. Democrat Michelle Beckley beat Republican Ron Simmons, who authored a House version of the “bathroom bill.” Democrat Lizzie Fletcher defeated Republican John Culberson, who supported Trump’s travel ban. Republican Jonathan Boos was also defeated by Democrat Rhetta Bowers. And Lisa Luby Ryan, who opposes gun regulation, lost to Democrat John Turner. 
 
 
 
 Possibly the biggest blue win for Texas was when Republican US Rep. Pete Sessions, who has represented the area since 2003, lost to Colin Allred in Dallas County’s 32nd Congressional District.
– The most populous county in Texas got hit with some "black girl magic" on Tuesday—which is why you'll now see a whole bunch of proud female African-American judges on the bench going forward. While much of the nation was hyperfocused on another race in Texas—that of Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz for a US Senate seat—19 black women ran for judge in Harris County on Election Day, and all 19 of them emerged victorious, per the Guardian and BuzzFeed News. The women (dubbed the "Houston 19," per the BBC) all stumped together under the "Black Girl Magic" slogan, posing for a pre-election photo and spurring a hashtag of the same label. The Guardian notes that although just 30% of the state's populace is white men, that demographic makes up nearly three-fifths of state court judges, which is why those newly elected Harris County judges say this development is so significant. "Having an African-American judge or having a female judge—those are the kinds of things we bring to the bench," Latosha Lewis Payne, now judge-elect for the 55th Civil Judicial District, tells FOX 26. "We bring an understanding of a person who may come from that similar background." The BBC lists all 19 winners. (What may be in the cards for Texas' most high-profile politician this year: Beto O'Rourke.)