American women have the opportunity to achieve historic successes in Congress and gubernatorial races in the 3 November elections. Although women make up around 51 per cent of the United States population, their representation in the legislative branch is significantly lower — they hold just 28.4 per cent of seats in Congress, which is nevertheless the highest number of women active in American legislation in history.
A total of 152 women currently sit in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Of the 435 representatives in the House of Representatives, 125 are women — 95 among Democrats and 30 among Republicans. Republicans currently hold the majority in the House of Representatives, with Mike Johnson serving as Speaker. Nancy Pelosi served as Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023.
Women occupy 27 per cent of seats in the US Senate, where there are 16 Democratic women and 11 Republican women. Each of the 50 federal states is represented by two senators, and senatorial terms are longer. Senators represent a significantly larger number of voters than representatives in the House of Representatives, and an individual senatorial seat opens up only every six years. There are only 100 senatorial seats in total, and slightly more than a third of senators are elected every two years. A Senate campaign at the federal state level is more expensive than a campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Of the 50 governors, 14 are women, or 28 per cent. Of the 14 current female governors, 10 are Democrats and four are Republicans, and six female governors are running for re-election. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the governor of Arkansas and was Donald Trump's spokesperson during his first presidential term. In the 3 November elections, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the total 100 senatorial seats are up for election, while citizens in 36 federal states will decide who will become governor.
Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, points out that women have traditionally had poorer access to networks of wealthy donors, and running a campaign in the US is extremely expensive. According to CAWP analyses, female candidates have less personal wealth than their male counterparts. In addition, male political leaders more often recruit men than women as new candidates. Representatives in the House of Representatives have no term limits, while a Senate seat opens up only every six years.
In Minnesota and Georgia, Black women could become federal state governors for the first time in American history. If Democrat Peggy Flanagan wins in Minnesota, she will become the first woman from the indigenous peoples of America elected to the US Senate. Flanagan belongs to the Ojibwe nation, also known as Chippewa, and currently serves as the lieutenant governor of Minnesota. According to current polls, she has a slight lead over Republican Michele Tafoya, a former television sports journalist and adviser to conservative politicians.
In Minnesota, Democratic governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris's vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, is not running for a new term. Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Republican Lisa DeMuth are competing for the governorship of Minnesota. Klobuchar has represented Minnesota in the Senate since 2007 and enjoys high name recognition among voters. Dittmar does not expect Lisa DeMuth to win because the federal state is considered a Democratic stronghold.
In Georgia, Black Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is running for the position of governor. The race is very tight, and Bottoms absolutely has a chance of winning. Her most prominent supporter is former president Barack Obama, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson was supported by president Donald Trump.
