New Record for Women Governors and Other Preliminary Results for Women Congressional and Statewide Executive Candidates in Election 2022

With a number of races still too close to call, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, reports that a record number of women will serve as governors in 2023. In addition, at least 124 (87D, 37R) women will serve in the 118th Congress, including 23 (15D, 8R) women in the U.S. Senate and 101 (72D, 29R) women in the U.S. House. At present, 44 (30D, 14R) women remain in congressional contests that are too close to call. Finally, at least 75 (39D, 35R, 1NP) women will serve in statewide elective executive offices (including governor) in 2023, with 46 (28D, 16R, 2NP) more women who remain in statewide executive contests that are too close to call.

These results are outlined in much greater detail, including results by level of office, chamber, party, and race/ethnicity, and including historical comparison on our “Results for Women Congressional and Statewide Elective Candidates in Election 2022” page. That page will be updated as races are called with both the latest numbers and additional notable milestones that may be achieved by newly-determined results. Find the most current data on women in the 2022 elections, along with interactive data visualizations and historical comparisons, at our Election 2022 Results Tracker. CAWP will also send periodic media advisories with updated data and information.

Some more detailed insights from initial 2022 election results for women in congressional and statewide elective executive contests include:

• At least 11 women will serve as governors in 2023, marking a new record (previous record: 9, first set in 2004). This includes 9 (5D, 4D) women who have already won their contests and another two women (party unknown) that will emerge from all-woman contests in Arizona and Oregon. Together, they will be at least 22% of all governors in the U.S. One more woman – incumbent Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) – is in a gubernatorial contest against a male opponent that is too close to call. Currently, 9 (6D, 3R) women serve as governor, holding 18% of all seats. Of the 9 (5D, 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.
  • 8 (4D, 4R) are white women, which falls short of the current record for white women governors serving simultaneously (9, first set in 2004). This number will increase by at least two with results from Arizona and Oregon, where all women nominees are white.
• At least 23 (15D, 8R) women will serve in the U.S. Senate in 2023, (current record: 26, first set in 2020). They will be at least 23% of all members of the Senate. Currently, 24 (16D, 8R) women serve in the U.S. Senate, holding 24% of all seats. Of the 23 (15D, 8R) women already selected to serve in the U.S. Senate in 2023, including holdovers:
  • 2 (2D) identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander.
  • 21 (13D, 8R) identify as white.
• At least 101 (72D, 29R) women will serve in the U.S. House in 2023 (current record: 123, set in 2022). They will be at least 23.2% 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. Of the 101 (72D, 29R) women who will serve in the U.S. House in 2023:
  • 4 (4D) identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander.
  • 24 (24D) identify as Black.
  • 11 (7D, 4R) identify as Latina/Hispanic.
  • 1 (1D) identifies as Middle Eastern/North African.
  • 1 (1D) identifies as Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian.
  • 62 (35D, 27R) identify as white.
  • The freshman class of women in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023 will include at least 16 (10D, 6R) non-incumbent women. The record high for new women House members is 36 (35D, 1R), set in 2019.
  • In addition to the 18 (13D, 5R) women U.S. House incumbents already departing due to retirement, running for other office, death, and primary defeat, 2 (1D, 1R) more women U.S. House incumbents were defeated in the general election. Currently, 19 (15D, 4R) incumbent women remain in contests still too close to call.
• At least 75 (39D, 35R, 1NP) women will serve in statewide elective executive office, including governor, in 2023 (current record: 96, set in 2022). They will be 24.2% of all statewide elective executive officials. Currently, 95 (52D, 41R, 2NP) women serve in statewide elective executive offices, holding 30.6% of these positions. Of the 75 (39D, 35R, 1NP) women who will serve in statewide elective executive office in 2023:
  • 3 (3D) identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander.
  • 8 (7D, 1R) identify as Black.
  • 6 (4D, 2R) identify as Latina/Hispanic.
  • 1 (1D) identifies as Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian.
• 57 (24D, 32R, 1NP) identify as white.

CAWP will share our data on women in state legislative elections and women voters in the coming days as data becomes available. For all the latest information on women in the 2022 midterms, see our Election 2022 Results Tracker and our “Results for Women Congressional and Statewide Elective Candidates in Election 2022” page, and see the full story for women candidates this year at CAWP’s Election Watch.