It looks like 2022 will be another landmark year for women in politics.
This US election cycle has seen record-breaking numbers of women, including 133 Black women running for seats in the US House of Representatives, a fourfold increase from 2016. There are now no Black women sitting in the US Senate because Kamala Harris was elected Vice President, but 21 more Black women are competing to fill that position.
The Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University provided the data, which examines the role of gender in US electoral politics.
Despite the fact that men still hold the majority of seats in Congress, the center has noticed an increase in interest from women in the most recent election cycles. 147 women, a record number, including 25 Black women, are now serving in Congress.
Overall, CAWP discovers that this year, a record number of women are seeking election to the Senate and governorships, but not to the House of Representatives. Additionally, there are a record number of Hispanic and Latina candidates for both the House and the governorship as well as a record number of Asian American or Pacific Islander women running for governor.
This year’s candidates include Georgia’s Stacey Abrams, one of a dozen Black women running for governor nationwide, and Representative Val Demings, a Democrat who is taking on Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
Republicans elect a record number of women to the House and Senate in 2020, but Democrats send much more women to Congress than Republicans.
Women have traditionally been viewed as being more moderate than men. However, both political parties have recently elevated women who have more radical beliefs. According to CAWP, Democrats also have greater racial and ethnic diversity, and going future, more White women will likely run as Republicans than Democrats.
Despite these recent, considerable improvements, Congress continues to be wildly unrepresentative of the US population. Less than one third of seats are now held by women.
