Women and the Presidency Resources

With Vice President Kamala Harris having been endorsed by President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, shares information on women and the presidency. As the premier institution devoted to understanding women’s role in American political life, we have compiled a great number of resources on women as candidates for federal executive office throughout history, as well as their role as candidates and officeholders for other executive political positions.

Presidential Watch 2024

• Two (1D, 1R) women - Nikki Haley (R) and Marianne Williamson (D) - competed in major-party primaries for presidential nominations in 2024.
• In addition to information about these women, our Presidential Watch 2024 links to more information on major milestones and historical facts around women and the presidency. 

Women Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates List

• Many women have sought to become president of the United States. A number received national attention, either as pioneers in the electoral process, as potential candidates, or as candidates of minor parties with a significant national presence. Others were from minor parties or were fringe candidates who entered major-party primaries.
• Only one woman, Hillary Clinton, was a major-party nominee for president. She was nominated by the Democratic party in 2016.
• The 2020 election marked the first time that more than one woman ran for the same major-party presidential nomination; six women ran in the Democratic primary.
• One woman has won the office of the vice president: Kamala Harris in 2020. Three women have been nominated to run for the office of vice president: Kamala Harris by the Democratic party in 2020, Sarah Palin by the Republican party in 2008, and Geraldine Ferraro by the Democratic party in 1984.

Presidential Election Analysis

• Comprehensive analyses of gender and intersectional dynamics in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections are available via CAWP’s post-election reports.
  
  • Tracking Gender in the 2020 Presidential Gender Election
    
    • The digital timeline provided in this report applies a gender and intersectional lens to key events during the 2020 presidential campaign. It provides clear examples of how presidential politics remain influenced by gender and race.
  • Finding Gender in Election 2016: Lessons from Presidential Gender Watch
    
    • In April 2015, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation (BLFF) and CAWP launched Presidential Gender Watch 2016, a project to track, analyze, and illuminate gender dynamics in the 2016 presidential election. This report summarizes the major findings from analyzing the 2016 presidential election through a gender lens.
• Real-time analyses of gender and intersectional dynamics in current and previous presidential elections are available via CAWP’s blog. 

History of Women Governors

• While no woman has served as the nation’s chief executive, 49 women have served as governors in 32 states.
• Of the 49 women governors, 12 became governor by constitutional succession, seven of whom subsequently won full terms. Three (1D, 2R) current governors – Kathy Hochul (D-NY), Kay Ivey (R-AL), and Kim Reynolds (R-IA) – first became governor by constitutional succession.

Gender Gap: Voting Choices in Presidential Elections

• In every presidential election since 1996, a majority of women have preferred the Democratic candidate. Moreover, women and men have favored different candidates in presidential elections since 2000, with the exception of 2008 when men were almost equally divided in their preferences for Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. In 2020, a majority of women favored the Democratic victor, Joe Biden, while a majority of men voted for the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
• This page provides detailed breakdowns of presidential vote choice from as early as 1980 to present by gender, as well as breakdowns by gender and race, age, marital status, religious affiliation, and community type.

Gender Differences in Voter Turnout

• Women have registered and voted at higher rates than men in every presidential election since 1980, with the turnout gap between women and men growing slightly larger with each successive presidential election.
• This page provides detailed information on voter registration and turnout from as early as 1964 to present by gender, as well as breakdowns by gender and race, age, and marital status in both presidential and non-presidential election years. 

For more information or to arrange for a CAWP expert to provide analysis, contact CAWP’s director of communications, Daniel De Simone, at ddesimone@eagleton.rutgers.edu or 760.703.0948.