U.S. Delegates are non-voting members and are not included in our total counts.
Women who self-identify as more than one race/ethnicity are included on CAWP pages for each group with which they identify. We strongly caution against adding totals from each racial/ethnic group should, as it will double count officeholders.
Of the 104 women in the current Congress:
- 6 identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander
- 18 identify as Black
- 9 identify as Latina
- 71 identify as white
In addition, of the 4 women who serve as non-voting delegates: 1 identifies as Asian American/Pacific Islander, 2 identify as Black, 1 identifies as white.
The number of women who have served in Congress to date.
- California has sent more women to Congress than any other state - a total of 39 to date.
- New York is next with 27 women to date.
- 3 states (DE, MS, VT) have never sent a woman to either the House or the Senate.
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1916
Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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1922
Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA) became the first woman appointed to the Senate, but only served one day.
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1964
Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-HI) became the first woman of color elected to the House.
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1978
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS) became the first woman elected to the Senate without having previously filled an unexpired Congressional term. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) was the first Democratic woman to do so in 1987.
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1992
Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL) became the first woman of color elected to the Senate.
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1998
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) became the first openly gay or lesbian person elected to an initial Congressional term. She is now the first openly gay member of the Senate.