FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, HALEY Stevens and Lauren Underwood have been sending each other lots of emojis. Both were first-time female candidates running in Republican-held districts, part of a nationwide surge of Democratic novices making their way in politics. But as young women running to serve in a Congress dominated by older men, they knew they each needed a little boost. “Enjoy the feeling, because you DID IT!!” Underwood, 32, texted Stevens, 35, after her August primary, followed by more words of solidarity and a yellow heart. “Keep fighting. Keep going. We are going to change the world!” Stevens texted Underwood last month.
On Nov. 6, Stevens, who served on President Barack Obama’s auto task force, sailed to victory in Michigan’s 11th District. Underwood, a registered nurse and…