Results for Women Congressional and Statewide Executive Candidates in Election 2022

LAST UPDATE: 1/3/23 at 6:00pm ET (reflects change in partisanship of Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona)

Based on the latest election results and anticipated holdovers of women officeholders not up for re-election in 2022:

  • Twelve women (8D, 4R) will serve as governors in 2023, marking a new record (previous record: 9, first set in 2004). They will be 24% of all governors in the U.S. Currently, 9 (6D, 3R) women serve as governor, holding 18% of all seats. 
  • 149 (106D, 42R, 1Ind) women will serve in the 118th Congress in 2023 (current record: 147, set in 2022). They will be 27.9% of all members of Congress. Currently, 147 (107D, 40R) women serve in the U.S. Congress, holding 27.5% of all seats. 
    • 25 (15D, 9R, 1Ind) women will serve in the U.S. Senate in 2023, (current record: 26, first set in 2020). They will be 25% of all members of the Senate. Currently, 24 (16D, 8R) serve in the U.S. Senate, holding 24% of all seats. 
    • 124 (91D, 33R) women will serve in the U.S. House in 2023 (current record: 123, set in 2022). They will be 28.5% of all members of the U.S. House. Currently, 123 (91D, 32R) women serve in the U.S. House, holding 28.3% of all seats. 
  • 94 (52D, 40R, 2NP) women will serve in statewide elective executive office (including governor) in 2023 (current record: 96, set in 2022). They will be 30.3% of all statewide elective executive officials. Currently, 95 (52D, 41R, 2NP) women serve in statewide elective executive offices, holding 30.6% of these positions. 

Details on partisan and racial/ethnic differences and milestones in election 2022 by level of office are included in the full analysis below.

 

Governor

In 2022, 12 (8D, 4R) women have won contests for governor and will serve in gubernatorial office in 2023. The previous record for women serving as governor was 9, first set in 2004. The previous record for Democratic women serving as governor is 6, first set in 2005, and the previous record for Republican women serving as governor is 4, first set in 2004. As of Election Day 2022, 9 (6D, 3R) women serve as governor, matching the previous record high. All 9 (6D, 3R) incumbent women governors were either up for re-election (5D, 3R) or term-limited (1D) this year. 

  • All 8 (5D, 3R) incumbent women governors up for re-election were successful this year. 
  • 4 (3D, 1R) non-incumbent women been elected as governors: Maura Healey (D-MA),  Katie Hobbs (D-AZ), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), and Tina Kotek (D-OR). All won open-seat contests.

Of the 12 (8D, 4R) women already selected as governors:

  • 1(1D) – incumbent Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) – is a Latina/Hispanic woman. She is one of just two (1D, 1R) Latina/Hispanic women that have ever served as governor.
  • 11 (7D, 4R) are white women, which surpasses the previous record for white women governors serving simultaneously (9, first set in 2004). 

Three states have elected their first woman governor in 2022: Arkansas, Massachusetts, and New York. As two of those states – Massachusetts and New York – have previously had a woman serve as governor through appointment/ascension, this brings the number of states that have never had a woman governor down to 18.

Women will for the first time serve simultaneously as governor and lieutenant governor in two states: Arkansas (Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge, both Republicans) and Massachusetts (Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, both Democrats). While these offices are elected as a ticket in Massachusetts, the governor and lieutenant governor in Arkansas are elected separately.

In addition, there are notable milestones among women who have won gubernatorial contests in 2022, including:

  • Tina Kotek (D-OR) will be (with Maura Healey of Massachusetts) the first openly lesbian governor in the United States.
  • Maura Healey (D-MA) will be (with Tina Kotek of Oregon) the first openly lesbian governor in the United States, as well as the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts.
  • Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) will be the first woman governor of Arkansas and the first daughter of a former governor to fill the position formerly held by her father. Mike Huckabee was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.

U.S. Senate

In 2022, 6 (4D, 2R) women won contests for the U.S. Senate. When combined with the 19 (11D, 7R, 1Ind) incumbent women senators not up for election this year, 25 (15D, 9R, 1Ind) women will serve in the Senate in the 118th Congress. The updated party break reflects the change in partisanship for Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), who was a Democrat until December 9, 2022, when she announced she would change her partisanship to become an Independent. The current record for women serving in the U.S. Senate is 26, first set in 2020. The current record for Democratic women serving in the Senate is 17, set in 2018, and the current record for Republican women serving in the Senate is 9, first set in 2020. As of Election Day 2022, 24 (16D, 8R) women serve in the U.S. Senate. 

  • 5 (4D, 1R) incumbent women Senators have won re-election this year and no incumbent women Senators have been defeated.
  • 1 (1R) non-incumbent woman has already been elected to the U.S. Senate: Katie Britt (R-AL). She won an open-seat contest and will become the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama. Two (2D) women have previously served in the U.S. Senate from Alabama via appointment. Britt will also be the first Republican woman to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate.

Follow this link for a complete and sortable list of women who will serve in the 118th Congress in 2023.

Of the 25 (15D, 9R, 1Ind) women selected to serve in the U.S. Senate in 2023, including holdovers:

  • 2 (2D) identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander, short of the previous high of 3 first set in 2017.
  • 1 (1D) identifies as Latina/Hispanic, matching the current high of 1 first set in 2017.
  • 22 (12D, 9R, 1Ind) identify as white, surpassing the previous high of 21 set in 2021.

The U.S. Senate will continue to have zero Black, Native, or MENA women members. Just 2 (2D) Black women and no Native or MENA women have ever served in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House

In 2022, 124 (91D, 33R) women have won contests for the U.S. House and will serve in the 118th Congress. This surpasses the current and previous record number for women serving in the House: 123, set in 2022. The current record for Democratic women serving in the House is 91, set in 2022, and the current record for Republican women serving in the House is 33, set in 2022. As of Election Day 2022, 123 (91D, 32R) women serve in the U.S. House. In this election cycle, 13 (10D, 3R) women House incumbents did not seek re-election, including Representative Jackie Walorski (R-IN), who passed away after winning her primary election. Another 5 (3D, 2R) women House incumbents were defeated in primary elections. 

  • 102 (76D, 26R) women House incumbents have already won re-election this year; 9 (5D, 4R) women House incumbents were defeated, including 5 (3D, 2R) women incumbents who were defeated in the primary – Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA), Liz Cheney (R-WY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Marie Newman (D-IL) – and 4 (2D, 2R) women incumbents already defeated in the general election – Cindy Axne (D-IA), Mayra Flores (R-TX), Yvette Herrell (R-NM), and Elaine Luria (D-VA).  
  • Of the 22 (15D, 7R) non-incumbent women House winners thus far, 21 (15D, 6R) won open seats and 1 (1R) woman – Jen Kiggans (R) – defeated incumbent Representative Elaine Luria (D) in VA-02. While she won an open seat in the general election, Harriett Hageman (R) defeated incumbent Representative Liz Cheney (R) in the Republican primary for Wyoming’s at-large U.S. House seat. Finally, 3 (2D, 1R) women won open seats created by the defeat of incumbents of the opposite party in the primary election: Hillary Scholten (D, MI-03), Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez (D, WA-03), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R, OR-05). The current record for non-incumbent women winners of U.S. House seats in a single election is 36, set in 2018.
    • In 2023, at least 7 Republican women will join the incoming class of new House members in the 118th Congress, short of the current record of 19, set in 2021. At least 15 Democratic women will join the incoming class of new House members in the 118th Congress, short of the current record of 35, set in 2019.

Follow this link for a complete and sortable list of women who will serve in the 118th Congress in 2023.

Of the 124 (91D, 33R) women already selected to serve in the U.S. House in 2023:  

  • 8 (6D, 2R) identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander, short of the previous high of 8, first set in 2021.  There are no Asian American/Pacific Islander women remains in a contest that is too close to call. 
  • 27 (27D) identify as Black, surpassing the previous record of 26 set in 2022. There are no Black women in contests too close to call.
  • 18 (13D, 5R) identify as Latina/Hispanic, surpassing the previous high of 14 set in 2022. There are no Latina/Hispanic women in contests too close to call.
  • 1 (1D) woman identifies as Middle Eastern/North African, short of the previous high of 2 set in 2019. There are no MENA women in contests too close to call.
  • 2 (2D) identify as Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian, matching the current high of 2, first set in 2019. 
  • 72 (43D, 29R) identify as white, short of the previous high of 75 set in 2022. 

Women winners who identify as more than one race are counted in each group with which they identify. In the 118th Congress, the multiracial women officeholders already elected include: Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R, OR-05; white and Latina/Hispanic), Nicole Malliotakis (R, NY-11; white and Latina/Hispanic), Anna Paulina Luna (R, FL-13; white and Latina/Hispanic), and Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10; Black and Asian American). 

There are notable state-based milestones among women who have won U.S. House contests in 2022, including:

  • Becca Balint (D-VT) will be the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress from Vermont. Vermont is the sole remaining state that has never been represented by a woman in Congress.
  • Delia Ramirez (D-IL) will be the first Latina/Hispanic woman to serve in Congress from Illinois.
  • Summer Lee (D-PA) will be the first Black woman to serve in Congress from Pennsylvania.
  • Yadira Caraveo (D-CO) will be the first Latina/Hispanic woman elected to Congress from Colorado.
  • Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR) will be the first Latina/Hispanic women elected to Congress from Oregon.

Two states still have never sent a woman to the U.S. House: Mississippi and North Dakota. None of these states have women candidates in uncalled contests.

In addition, 4 (2D, 2R) non-voting delegates from American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 118th Congress.

 

Statewide Elective Executive Office

In 2022, 67 (41D, 25R, 1NP) women won statewide elective executive offices, including governor. They will join the 27 (11D, 15R, 1NP) women currently serving as statewide elective executive officials who are not up for re-election this year. Combined, 94 (52D, 40R, 2NP) women will serve in statewide elective executive office, including governor, in 2023. This falls short of the current record of 96, set in 2022. The current record for Democratic women serving in statewide elective executive office is 54, set in 2022, and the current record for Republican women serving statewide elective executive office is 44, set in 2018. As of Election Day 2022, 95 (52D, 41R, 2NP) women serve in statewide elective executive office. 

  • 39 (24D, 15R) women statewide executive incumbents won re-election this year. Three (1D, 2R) women incumbents were defeated, all in the primary.
  • Of the 28 (17D, 10R, 1R) non-incumbent women statewide executive winners, all but 1 (1R) won open seats in the general election; among them, 2 (1D, 1R) women defeated incumbents of their own party in the primary election. The sole woman to defeat an incumbent in a statewide executive contest thus far is Brenna Bird (R-IA), who will be attorney general in Iowa.

Of the 94 (52D, 40R, 2NP) women who will serve in statewide elective executive offices (including governor) in 2023:

  • 4 (3D, 1R) are Asian American/Pacific Islander women, surpassing the previous high of 3, first set in 2015. 
  • 10 (9D, 1R) are Black women, surpassing the previous high of 8, first set in 2022. 
  • 8 (6D, 2R) are Latina/Hispanic women, short of the previous high of 9, first set in 2021. 
  • 1 (1D) woman is Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian, short of the previous high of 2, set in 2009. No Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian remain in contests that are too close to call. 
  • 71 (33D, 36R, 2NP) are white women, short of the previous high of 83, first set in 2000. 

Follow this link for a complete and sortable list of women who will serve in statewide elective executive office (including governor) in 2023.

Apart from gubernatorial successes, there are notable state-based milestones among women who have won statewide elective executive contests in 2022, including:

  • Lydia York (D-DE) will be the first Black woman to be state auditor and the second Black woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Delaware.
  • State Delegate Brooke Lierman (D) will be the first woman to serve as comptroller in Maryland.
  • Former State Delegate Aruna Miller (D) will be the first Asian American woman elected to statewide executive office in Maryland.
  • Former Boston City Councilwoman Andrea Campbell (D) will be the first Black woman elected to statewide executive office in Massachusetts.
  • Charity Clark (D-VA) will be the first woman elected attorney general in Vermont. Current incumbent Attorney General Susanne Young (R), the first woman to hold the office, was appointed by Governor Scott (R) in July 2022 to fill a vacancy. She did not run for a full term.
  • Lara Montoya (D-NM) will be the first woman to serve as treasurer in New Mexico.
Election Results and Analysis