CAWP in the News

This report is the second in the CAWP Women, Money, and Politics series. Analyzing 2001-2020 campaign contributions data, the report examines attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer primary elections and general election contests for all statewide executive offices (other than governor and lt. governor). It identifies challenges and opportunities facing women as donors and candidates with analysis of candidate party and race/ethnicity. This is the companion study to our report on gubernatorial elections, The Money Hurdle. This report is made possible through a collaboration with OpenSecrets.

Measuring women’s electoral success means placing 2020 outcomes into historical and contemporary context. That is the work done in this report, where CAWP breaks down 2020 congressional and state legislative data by gender, race, and party; puts this data into historical context, with specific comparisons to the 2018 election; analyzes women candidates’ paths to office and strategies for success; and looks ahead to what 2020 election outcomes mean for the future of women in American politics.

This update from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Higher Heights Leadership Fund outlines the number of Black women in the U.S. Congress at the start of 2021.