The Number of Women Serving in Congress Will Not Meet Record Levels

The number of women serving in the U.S. Congress will be stagnant following the 2024 elections, with women’s representation not meeting the current record, which was set this month with the special election of Erica Lee Carter, and potentially falling short of their number prior to Election Day, according to an analysis from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.

Women's representation will fall short of record levels in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, and while Democratic women's representation will reach a new high in the U.S. Congress, Republican women's representation will fall short of records. In addition, other than the new record of 2 (2D) Black women serving in the U.S. Senate, there will be no new highs in the number of women of any race/ethnicity serving in Congress. There are 3 (1D, 2R) women in U.S. House contests that are still too close to call, including the contest in Iowa’s First Congressional District where both major-party candidates are women.

“After multiple cycles of breakthrough numbers for women’s representation in Congress, 2024 is clearly a stasis year,” said CAWP Director Debbie Walsh. “A year is not a trend, however. Gains women have made at lower levels of office in recent years can translate to future seats in Congress. Just this year, for example, 9 of the 18 women who will be new members of the U.S. House are serving in state legislatures. Consistent, bipartisan effort to increase women’s representation at all levels of office yields results.”
 

Women in Congress

These numbers include Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is expected to serve in the 119th Congress before resigning to take up her position as ambassador to the United Nations.

• 119th Congress: At least 150 women will serve in the 119th Congress. This includes 149 (110D, 39R) women who have already won election and the eventual winner of the IA-01 race between Christina Bohannan (D) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R). The record and current number of women serving in Congress is 152, first set following the 2024 election when Erica Lee Carter (D) was sworn in for the remainder of the 118th Congress.
  • At least 110 Democratic women will serve in Congress. This exceeds the record of 108, first set this year.
  • At least 39 Republican women will serve in Congress. With just two Republican women remaining in races that are too close to call, Republican women will definitely fall short of their record of 43, first set in 2023.
• U.S. Senate: 25 women will serve in the U.S. Senate. The record for women serving in the Senate is 26, first set in 2020. There are no undecided Senate races featuring women candidates.
  • 16 Democratic women will serve in the Senate. The record is 17, first set in 2018.
  • 9 Republican women will serve in the Senate. This matches the record, first set in 2020.
• U.S. House: At least 125 women will serve in the U.S. House in 2025. This includes 124 women who have won election and the eventual winner of the all-woman contest in IA-01. The record for women serving in the House is 127, first set this year.
  • At least 94 Democratic women will serve in the House. This matches the record, which was first set this year.
  • At least 30 Republican women will serve in the House. With just two Republican women remaining in House races that are too close to call, Republican women will definitely fall short of their record of 34, set in 2023.
  • The number of non-incumbent women elected to the House in 2024 will be at least 18 (16D, 2R). The record is 36, first set in 2018. 1 (1D) non-incumbent woman remains in a race that is too close to call.

Women in Congress by Race and Ethnicity

• Asian American/Pacific Islander Women
  • 1 (1R) AAPI woman remains in a race that is still too close to call.
  • At least 9 (8D, 1R) AAPI women will serve in Congress. The record is 11, first set in 2021.
  • 2 (2D) AAPI women will serve in the Senate. The record is 3, first set in 2021.
  • At least 7 (6D, 1R) AAPI women will serve in the House. The record is 8, first set in 2021.
• Black Women
  • 29 (29D) Black women will serve in Congress. The record is 30, first set this year.
  • 2 (2D) Black women will serve in the Senate. This is a new record; the previous record was 1, first set in 1993.
  • 27 (27D) Black women will serve in the House. The record is 29, first set this year.
• Latinas
  • 19 (15D, 4R) Latinas will serve in Congress. This matches the record, first set in 2023.
  • 1 (1D) Latina will serve in the Senate. This matches the record, first set in 2017.
  • 18 (14D, 4R) Latinas will serve in the House. This matches the record, first set in 2023.
• Middle Eastern/North African Women
  • 2 (2D) MENA women will serve in Congress. This matches the record, first set in 2019.
  • No MENA women will serve or have ever served in the Senate.
  • 2 (2D) MENA women will serve in the House. This matches the record, first set in 2019.
• Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Women
  • 1 (1D) Native woman will serve in Congress. The record is two, first set in 2019.
  • No Native women will serve or have ever served in the Senate.
  • 1 (1D) Native woman will serve in the House. The record is two, first set in 2019.
• White Women
  • 2 (1D, 1R) white women remain in races that are still too close to call.
  • At least 92 (56D, 36R) white women will serve in Congress. The record is 96, first set in 2022.
  • 20 (11D, 9R) white women will serve in the Senate. The record is 22, first set in 2020.
  • At least 72 (45D, 27R) white women will serve in the House. The record is 75, first set in 2022.

Find the latest information about women in the 2024 elections, including updated data as results are determined, at CAWP’s 2024 Election Results Tracker and our Results for Women Congressional and Statewide Executive Candidates in Election 2024 page.