Four women were sworn into row-office positions in Chester County not held by Democrats for more than a century, during a ceremony held last week at West Chester University, writes Maria Panaritis for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The four women, two of whom were previously Republican, are all accomplished professionals with little political establishment credentials. They were prompted to run in reaction to the 2016 elections.

The crowd cheered inside the ballroom of Sykes Student Union as Margaret Reif was sworn in as the new controller, Yolanda Van de Krol as the new clerk of courts, Christine VandePol as the new coroner, and Patricia Maisano as the new treasurer.

The women’s victory is even more remarkable considering that Republicans still have the voter registration advantage in Chester County. In fact, the turnout for the four candidates on Election Day was huge, with women turning out in droves to cast their votes.

Read more about the swearing-in ceremony in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.