Our last “year of the woman” fizzled out when, despite the fact there were more women running for office than ever before, fewer made it through their primaries and even fewer actually won or retained their seats.

This year, things are looking different.

As a result of the last two weeks of primaries, more women than ever before have secured their party nominations. In fact, female politicians are making history.

“With primaries completed in four more states yesterday, a record 154 women have been nominated for U.S. House races in November,” announces the 2012 Project, “That total blows past the previous record of 141 nominees set in 2004 – with 10 more primaries still to come!“

The 2012 Project, a national non-partisan campaign sponsored by the Center for Women in Politics that was formed in response to the unprecedented drop in women lawmakers after the 2010 election, has been encouraging and supporting women candidates of both parties in their bids to run for office. Now, they are pleased to see their work pay off, as 110 Democratic women and 44 Republican women candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives have won their primaries. 

“We’ve been saying it for months – and we just keep proving it – 2012 is shaping up to be a historic year for Democratic women,” said EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock in an email statement earlier today. “In primary after primary, voters have gone to the polls and said they want to send a Democratic woman to Congress to change the way Washington works.”

For both parties, the year of the woman is on.