What is next after the Women's March?

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Saturday's Women's March drew huge crowds to cities around the country. From Midtown Manhattan to Little Rock to Chicago, Los Angeles and far beyond, they marched in the millions. It was a show of resistance to the new administration. As protesters return home, many are planning their next steps to keep the spotlight on women's issues.

But feet on the ground don't automatically translate to changes in policy or votes at the polls. Paul Herrnson is a professor of political science at the University of Connecticut. He says that the government doesn't react well to "loud protests that are a flash in the pan." He says the government reacts to sustained pressure. He says that the marches and protests can have an effect if they are part of a sustained effort.

Katherine Siemionko organized the New York City march, in which upwards of 400,000 people are believed to have participated. She says that her immediate step is to give trump a chance and see if he fulfills his promise of giving women equal wages and paid maternity leave.

The national women's march is encouraging 10 actions in 100 days. The first being to send a postcard to your senator about issues you're concerned about. Other groups are popping up encouraging people to start focusing on competitive house seats for the midterm elections. All of the activity draws parallels to the tea party movement.

The tea party movement led to a wave of political novices running for office. Many people expect we could see something like that in the 2018 midterm elections. Already, a number of groups dedicated to helping women run for office say thousands of new prospective candidates are emerging.