the 2012 project is a campaign of the center for american women and politics, led by debbie walsh. the 2012 project aims to identify and support women not previously active in politics to run for office at any level. the goal is to increase female political representation at the state and federal levels. the number of women in state legislatures dropped by more than 60 as a result of the 2010 elections. prior to the 2011 special election victories of kathy hochul and janice hahn to the u.s. house of representatives, the number of women serving in the 112th congress was 89, down one from the 2010 total, representing the first drop in female congressional representation since the 96th congress in 1979. this does not include the three women delegates from guam, the virgin islands, and washington, dc. according to the inter-parliamentary union, the united states ranks 70th out of more than 134 countries in the world with respect to political gender. the global gender gap report published in 2010 by the world economic forum ranks the united states as 40th out of 134 countries in terms of gender equality in political empowerment.