For Women in State Legislatures and Statewide Offices, Not Much Change

New Brunswick, NJ-- With a number of races still too close to call, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) anticipates almost no growth for women in state legislatures or statewide office. “It’s disappointing that women have failed to build their numbers significantly in legislatures and statewide executive office,” said CAWP director Debbie Walsh. “This is a trend that began in the 1990s and, sadly, continues today.”

State Legislatures

With 16 remaining races undecided, the proportion of women in state legislatures in 2017 will be between 24.7 and 25.0 percent, according to CAWP, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

To date, a total of 1,525 women have been elected this year (912D, 596R, 3 independents, 1 Working Families Party members, 4 Progressives, 9 elected in non-partisan contests). An additional 302 women are holdovers who were not up for election this year (192D, 105R, 1 independent, 4NP). Pending the remaining election outcomes, a minimum of 1,827 women will serve.

Party breakdowns among the women legislators will not shift substantially; the proportion of Democrats among all women lawmakers will remain near 60 percent, while Republicans will be almost 39 percent, with the remainder of seats held by independents, members of other parties, and the non-partisan senators in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature.

Party Breakdown Among All Women Legislators*

 Republican women continue to lag behind Democratic women as a proportion of their party’s legislators. Democratic women will constitute approximately 35% percent of all Democratic legislators, while GOP women will be about 17% percent of all Republican state lawmakers.

Statewide Elective Executive Office

In contests for statewide elective executive offices, with two races still undecided, the number of women who will serve in 2017 is 75 (32D, 43R), compared with the 2016 figure of 75 (32D, 42R, 1NP), or 24 percent of the 312 positions. The total number of women governors as of 2017 will be 5 (2D, 3R).  Two Democratic women were nominees for governor; incumbent Kate Brown (D-OR) won and Sue Minter (D-VT) lost.  Brown rejoins Republican women holdovers in NM, OK, and SC and a Democratic holdover in RI.