Political Parties

Addressing varied aspects of women’s engagement with political parties as candidates, officeholders and voters. 

  • The Donor Gap

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu, Ph.D. 

    This interactive experience using data visualizations examines the intersection of campaign finance and gender from both the donor and recipient perspective, with state-by-state analysis and partisan breakdowns. Once again, our campaign finance research shows women lagging men both as donors and in the amounts donated.

    Report
    CAWP Women, Money, and Politics Series
    Research
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
  • Mujeres y Movidas: Latina Congressional Candidate Emergence and Experiences in California and Texas

    by Anna Sampaio (Professor of Ethnic Studies and Political Science, Santa Clara University, CAWP Research Grantee)

     

    Dr. Sampaio explores, through empirical data and interviews with candidates and political professionals, the experiences of Latina congressional candidates in the 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections. She also provides prescriptions founded in this research to enhance Latinas’ political participation and increase the number of Latinas running for office.

     
    Report
    Research
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Elective Office
    Congress
  • Women in Election 2022: Marking Midterm Progress

    by Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D.

    This report analyzes women’s electoral success in 2022, focusing on the numbers, and puts it into historical context—with special attention to how 2022 compared to the historic elections that preceded it.

    Report
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Elective Office
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
  • Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, 5th Edition

    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.

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Federal Executive
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
  • The Money Race for the State Legislature

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu and Claire Gothreau

    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.

    Report
    CAWP Women, Money, and Politics Series
    Research
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    State Legislature
  • Money Matters in the Fifty States

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu and Claire Gothreau

    This report is the second in the CAWP Women, Money, and Politics series. Analyzing 2001-2020 campaign contributions data, the report examines attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer primary elections and general election contests for all statewide executive offices (other than governor and lt. governor). It identifies challenges and opportunities facing women as donors and candidates with analysis of candidate party and race/ethnicity. This is the companion study to our report on gubernatorial elections, The Money Hurdle. This report is made possible through a collaboration with OpenSecrets.

    Report
    CAWP Women, Money, and Politics Series
    Research
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Statewide Executive
  • Measuring Success: Women in 2020 Legislative Elections

    by Kelly Dittmar

    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.

    Report
    Research
    Political Parties
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    State Legislature
    Congress
  • Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, 4th Edition

    Eds. Susan J. Carroll, CAWP, Rutgers University and Richard L. Fox, Loyola Marymount University
    Cambridge University Press, 2018 Fourth Edition, 319 pages 

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Women Voters and the Gender Gap
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Federal Executive
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
  • Women Running in 2017: Assessing NJ and VA State Legislative Elections

    by Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D.

    In our post-primary analysis, we find evidence that more Democratic women are running in 2017 state legislative races than in recent years, but many of them will have to defeat strong incumbents to win. This is particularly true in Virginia, a state where Republicans hold both legislative chambers. In New Jersey, where Democrats control the state legislature, there are fewer opportunities for Democratic challengers, and thus a less significant increase in the number of women nominees in 2017. 

    Fact Sheet
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    A Closer Look
    Political Parties
    Candidates and Campaigns
    State Legislature
  • Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress

    by Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, Susan J. Carroll, Debbie Walsh, and Catherine Wineinger
    Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 2017, 56 pages.

    This CAWP report takes stock of the experiences, perspectives, approaches, and influence of women in the U.S. Congress. Drawing upon the CAWP Study of Women in the 114th Congress, entailing original interviews with 83 of the 108 women who served as Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in the 114th Congress (2015-2016), it shows that women members on both sides of the aisle very much believe that their presence and their voices matter. The interviews provide considerable evidence of women's achievements despite the overall environment of gridlock and party polarization in which the women in Congress operate.

    Report
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Political Parties
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Impact of Women Public Officials
    Congress