Why It Matters
Women are running for elected office in record numbers across the country in 2026, signaling both progress in female political representation and persistent gaps in parity at all levels of government. The surge reflects shifting campaign dynamics and donor support for female candidates, even as the overall percentage of women contenders remains below half in most races.
What Happened
Data compiled by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute shows that women candidates for governor across 36 states have exceeded the previous record set in 2022. The 85 women major-party gubernatorial contenders in 2026 surpass the prior high of 69 candidates four years earlier.
Among those gubernatorial hopefuls, 51 are Democratic candidates and 34 are Republican candidates. Meanwhile, 580 women are running as major-party candidates for U.S. House seats nationally, just under the 583 women who ran in 2018 and 2020. The House contingent includes 387 Democratic women and 183 Republican women.
In Senate races, 64 women from the two major parties are seeking election or re-election, down slightly from the record of 70 set in 2022. Several high-profile women are pursuing statewide offices. Milwaukee County Executive Crowley rejoined Wisconsin’s governor’s race with backing from the current governor, and nationally, figures including U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota are running for their states’ top offices. South Carolina recently appointed Senator Darline Graham following the death of her brother; she has announced plans to seek a full six-year term.
Deb Haaland, the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, is running for governor in New Mexico and could become the first Native American woman to hold that office. In congressional races, candidates including Milat Keros in Colorado, Aisha Wahab in California, and Denise Powell in Nebraska are positioned to become the first women of their respective backgrounds to represent their states in the House.
By the Numbers
85 — women major-party gubernatorial candidates in 2026, an all-time high
36 — number of states with women gubernatorial contenders
51 — Democratic women gubernatorial candidates, a record
34 — Republican women gubernatorial candidates
580 — women major-party House candidates nationally
387 — Democratic women House candidates, an all-time high
183 — Republican women House candidates
64 — women Senate candidates from major parties
27% — women as a share of total U.S. House candidacies
25% — women as a share of total gubernatorial candidacies
Zoom Out
The 2026 cycle marks a recovery in female House candidacies after a decline in 2024. The surge in women candidates reflects broader trends in campaign fundraising and grassroots support for female contenders, though overall representation remains far below gender parity in most offices. Chelsea Hill, director of data at the Center for American Women and Politics, characterized the current landscape as “evidence of stalled progress toward gender parity,” highlighting the disconnect between record candidacies and persistent underrepresentation in elected office.
Women now make up a quarter of gubernatorial races and roughly 27 percent of House candidacies nationally, reflecting incremental gains over the past decade. Senate representation among female candidates has declined slightly from 2022, though multiple women are seeking high-profile statewide positions this cycle.
What’s Next
Campaign activity continues through the summer filing deadlines, with Louisiana House candidates facing a deadline of August 7. The outcomes of these races will determine whether record candidacies translate into elected representation and whether the gender gap in Congress and state offices narrows further heading into 2028.