State Legislature

The fifth edition of Gender and Elections offers a lively, multi-faceted account of the role of gender in the electoral process through the 2020 elections.

This report is the third in the CAWP Women, Money, and Politics series. Analyzing 2020 campaign contributions data, the report examines state legislative contests with a focus on general elections. It identifies a large gender gap in giving to state legislative elections and examines giving patterns by political party. The report also identifies challenges and opportunities facing women candidates, comparing candidates by party and race/ethnicity. This report is made possible through a collaboration with OpenSecrets.

This report from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Higher Heights Leadership Fund outlines the status of Black women in American politics as of September 2021. 

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.