Primary elections were held on Tuesday in three states: Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas. Full context about women in the 2026 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, is available via the Center for American Women and Politics’ (CAWP) Election Watch . LAST UPDATE: 3/6/2026 at 11:30AM ET

Only 32 U.S. states have had a woman governor. Virginia will mark the 33rd when either Democrat Abigail Spanberger or Republican Winsome Earle-Sears wins the gubernatorial election in November. To date, 51 (31D, 20R) women have served as state governors. In addition, women have served as governors of Guam and Puerto Rico. The first woman governor in 17...

Two women veterans are on gubernatorial ballots in 2025. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) served in the U.S. Navy, and Winsome Earle-Sears (R-VA) served in the U.S. Marines. They are two of four women veterans who have been major-party nominees for governor since 2010. In 2022, Theresa Livingston (D), an Air Force veteran, was unsuccessful in her bid for governor of...

In the past decade, women have achieved near parity with men among Democratic state legislators. Women remain less than a quarter of all Republican state legislators. From 2016 to 2025, women have increased their representation in state legislatures by almost ten percentage points (24.4% to 33.5%). Women are now nearly 50% of all Democratic state legislators...

At least four women lieutenant governors are running for governor in 2025 or 2026. In 2025, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears is the Republican nominee for governor. Already, three current lieutenant governors - Nancy Dahlstrom (R-AK), Pamela Evette (R-SC), and Sara Rodriguez (D-WI) - have announced their bids for governor in the 2026 cycle...