Women in the U.S. House of Representatives 2021
118
women hold seats in the House of Representatives, comprising 27.1% of the 435 members in 2021. The women represent 36 states; 87 are Democrats and 31 are Republicans.
In addition to the 118 women currently serving, four (2D, 2R) women delegates also represent American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The congresswomen include 46 women of color: 23 African American women, 7 Asian Pacific Islanders, and 12 Latinas, 1 Native American woman, 1 Middle Eastern/North African woman, and 2 multi-racial women. The delegates include an Asian/Pacific Islander, a Latina, a Caribbean American and an African American. For more information on the number of women of color serving in the House click here. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the first woman Speaker of the House, holds the highest position in the House and is second in line of presidential succession. For more information on women in leadership roles in Congress, click here.
Of the 118 women in the House:
105
women first entered by winning regular general elections.
69
women lawmakers held previous elective offices prior to entering Congress.
18
won special elections; Adams (NC), Bonamici (OR), Chu (CA), Clark (MA), Hanabusa (HI), Handel (GA), Jones (MI), Kelly (IL), Lee (CA), Lesko (AZ), Letlow (LA), Matsui (CA), Pelosi (CA), Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Scanlon(PA); Speier (CA), Tsongas (MA), and Wild (PA) succeeded others who died or resigned. The AS, DC, GU and VI Delegates won regular general elections.
24
held more than one previous elective post. The positions include: statewide elective (2); state senator (19); state representative (39); county elective (7); municipal elective (27); judge (1); school board member (7).
Women who serve in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021
| Congresswomen | Route to Office | Dates Served |
|---|---|---|
|
Alma Adams (D-NC) |
Won simultaneous special election to fill vacancy and regular election. State representative; Greensboro city council; Greensboro school board; professor. | 11/12/14 - present |
|
Cindy Axne (D-IA) |
Small business owner, community activist, state agency strategist. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Nanette Barragan (D-CA) |
Hermosa Beach City councilwoman; attorney; community advocate; Clinton White House aide. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Karen Bass (D-CA) |
State assembly speaker; assemblywoman; Los Angeles school board member; community activist. | 1/5/11 - present |
|
Joyce Beatty (D-OH) |
State representative and House Democratic leader; small business owner; management consultant. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Stephanie Bice (R-OK) |
State Senator, Assistant Majority Floor Leader, businesswoman. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) |
Congressional case worker; Delaware secretary of labor, deputy secretary of health and social services, state personnel director. CEO of Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Lauren Boebert (R-CO) |
Small business owner; gun activist; councilor to at risk women in local jail. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) |
State senator, state representative, legislative assistant, attorney. Won a special election to fill a vacancy. | 2/7/12 - present |
|
Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA) |
Director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office; public policy professor; Senate aide. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Julia Brownley (D-CA) |
State assemblywoman; Santa Monica-Malibu school board member and president. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Cori Bush (D-MO) |
Activist; registered nurse; pastor. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Cheri Bustos (D-IL) |
East Moline alderman; health care system communications official; journalist. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Kat Cammack (R-FL) |
Deputy Chief of Staff in Congress; consultant; congressional aide. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Kathy Castor (D-FL) |
Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners; assistant general counsel to the Florida Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee. | 1/4/07 - present |
|
Liz Cheney (R-WY) |
Attorney, State Department official, Fox News contributor. Holds seat once held by her father. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Judy Chu (D-CA) |
California state board of equalization member; state assembly; Monterey Park mayor and councilwoman; board of education member; educator. Won a special election July 14, 2009 to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Congresswoman Hilda Solis to become Secretary of Labor. | 7/16/09 - present |
|
Katherine Clark (D-MA) |
State senator; state representative; attorney. Won a special election December 10, 2013 to fill a vacancy. | 12/12/13 - present |
|
Yvette Clarke (D-NY) |
Councilwoman; director of business development for Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation; director of Bronx portion of the New York City Empowerment Zone. | 1/4/07 - present |
|
Angela Craig (D-MN) |
Journalist; medical device executive. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Sharice Davids (D-KS) |
Member of the Ho-Chunk nation; professional mixed martial arts fighter; attorney; small business owner; director of community and economic development for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Madeleine Dean (D-PA) |
State representative; attorney; executive director of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers; assistant professor of English. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) |
Congressional aide; executive director of EMILY's List; community organizer. | 1/3/91 - present |
|
Diana DeGette (D-CO) |
State representative; state house assistant leader; civil rights and employment lawyer. | 1/7/97 - present |
|
Suzan DelBene (D-WA) |
Technology entrepreneur; businesswoman; director, state Department of Revenue. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Val Demings (D-FL) |
Orlando police chief; police officer; social worker. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Debbie Dingell (D-MI) |
President of D2 Strategies; chair of Wayne State University Board of Governors; president of the GM Foundation; senior executive for public affairs. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Veronica Escobar (D-TX) |
County Commissioner; El Paso County Judge; non-profit executive. | 1/3/19-present |
|
Anna Eshoo (D-CA) |
San Mateo County supervisor and board president. Elected to U.S. House in 1992. | 1/5/93 - present |
|
Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) |
Lt. Governor of Minnesota; President of Minnesota Senate state senator; attorney. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Virginia Foxx (R-NC) |
State senator; county board of education; college instructor and administrator. | 1/4/05 - present |
|
Lois Frankel (D-FL) |
West Palm Beach mayor; state representative; attorney. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) |
Houston, County Commissioner; Houston City Controller; director and presiding judge of the Houston Municipal system;social worker; legal aid lawyer. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Kay Granger (R-TX) |
Mayor of Fort Worth; board of trustees of the US Conference of Mayors; educator; small business owner. | 1/7/97 - present |
|
Marjorie Greene (R-GA) |
National Director of Family America Project; small business owner. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) |
Small business owner; phamacist. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Vicky J. Hartzler (R-MO) |
Cass County Republican Central Committee; teacher; businesswoman. | 1/5/11 - present |
|
Jahana Hayes (D-CT) |
School teacher; chair of the Kennedy SOAR Review Board; winner of the John F. Kennedy Teacher of the Year award. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Yvette Herrell (R-NM) |
State representative; small business owner. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) |
State representative; assistant minority floor leader; legislative assistant to congresswoman McMorris Rodgers. | 1/5/11 - present |
|
Ashley Hinson (R-IA) |
State representative; TV news reporter. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) |
Engineer; former U.S. Air Force office; non-profit CEO. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Sara Jacobs (D-CA) |
Founder and Chair of San Diego for Every Child; U.S. State Department; UNICEF; Scholar in Residence at University of San Diego; United Nations Policy position; Policy Advisor to Secretary Clinton; CEO of Project Connect. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) |
State senator, human rights activist. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) |
State senator; state representative; administrator in Department of Health, Education and Welfare; nurse; consultant. | 1/5/93 - present |
|
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) |
Urban planner; White House domestic policy aide. | 1/3/83 - present |
|
Robin Kelly (D-IL) |
State representative; chief administrative officer, Cook County; community affairs director, Village of Matteson. | 4/11/13 - present |
|
Young Kim (R-CA) |
State representative; congressional aide; financial analyst. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Ann L. Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) |
U.S representative 2009-2011 and 2013-2017; Arizona state representative; Sedona city attorney, educator. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) |
Attorney; consultant; lobbyist. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) |
Mayor and councilwoman in Southfield; president of National Association of Democratic Mayors; lieutenant governor nominee in 2010; board of education member and president; U.S. postal carrier. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Barbara Lee (D-CA) |
State senator; state assemblywoman; senior advisor and administrative assistant to member of Congress. Won a special election in 1998 to fill a vacancy caused by a resignation. | 4/21/98 - present |
|
Susie Lee (D-NV) |
Education advocate; founding director of After-School All-Stars. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) |
Council member; municipal court associate judge; attorney; congressional committee counsel. | 1/4/95 - present |
|
Teresa Leger (D-NM) |
White House Fellow during Clinton administration; Vice Chair Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Obama Administration; attorney; Commissioner ABA Commission on Women; Co-Chair East Palo Alto Law Project. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) |
State senator; state representative; won special election to fill a vacancy. | 5/7/18 - present |
|
Julia Letlow (R-LA) |
University Administrator at Tulane University School of Medicine and University of Louisiana at Monroe. Won a special election to fill the vacancy left by the death of her husband who never officially took office. | 4/14/21-present |
|
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) |
Santa Clara County Supervisor; attorney; law teacher; executive director of low-income housing development group; congressional aide. | 1/4/95 - present |
|
Elaine Luria (D-VA) |
United States Navy officer; engineer. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Nancy Mace (R-SC) |
State representative; author; bussinesswoman; consultant. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) |
State representative; Minority Whip; state senate aide. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) |
New York city council member; educator; administrator. | 1/5/93 - present |
|
Kathy Manning (D-NC) |
Small business owner; community and nonprofit leader; attorney. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Doris Matsui (D-CA) |
Public policy advocate; deputy assistant to the President and deputy director of public liaison in the Clinton administration. Won special election in 2005 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of her husband. | 3/10/05 - present |
|
Lucy McBath (D-GA) |
Gun control advocate; national spokeswoman for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; flight attendant. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Lisa McClain (R-MI) |
Chartered financial consultant; businesswoman. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Betty McCollum (D-MN) |
State representative; North St. Paul City Councilwoman; educator; businesswoman. | 1/3/01 - present |
|
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) |
State representative and House Republican leader. | 1/4/05 - present |
|
Grace Meng (D-NY) |
State assemblywoman; attorney. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Carol Miller (R-WV) |
State delegate; real estate manager. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Mary Miller (R-IL) |
Teacher;business manager; farmer. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Marianette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) |
State senator, physician, United States Army veteran. Seated provisionally in the U.S. House while election results are under House review. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Gwen Moore (D-WI) |
State senator; assemblywoman; city and state government administrator. | 1/4/05 - present |
|
Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) |
Businesswoman, college instructor. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Grace Napolitano (D-CA) |
State assemblywoman; mayor, Norwalk; city council member; businesswoman. | 1/6/99 - present |
|
Marie Newman (D-IL) |
Marketing consultant; small business owner; founder of NGO “Team up to Stop Bullying”; author. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) |
Educator at the National Hispanic Institute; founder of a children’s book publisher. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Ilhan Omar (D-MN) |
State representative; nutrition educator; campaign manager. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher (D-TX) |
Attorney; co-founder of Planned Parenthood Young Leaders. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) |
Chair of California Democratic party; Democratic National Committee member; party activist; public relations executive. Won special election in 1987 to fill a vacancy caused by death of Congresswoman Sala Burton. | 6/9/87 - present |
|
Chellie M. Pingree (D-ME) |
State senator; Senate majority leader; North Haven planning board member; North Haven tax assessor; school board chair; president, Common Cause; businesswoman. | 1/6/09 - present |
|
Katherine Porter (D-CA) |
Attorney; law school professor. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) |
Boston City Councilwoman; congressional staffer. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Kathleen Rice (D-NY) |
Elected district attorney of Nassau County; attorney. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Debrah K. Ross (D-NC) |
State representative; ACLU state director; attorney. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) |
State assemblywoman. | 1/5/93 - present |
|
Maria E. Salazar (R-FL) |
Jounalist, TV news anchor. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Linda Sanchez (D-CA) |
Executive secretary-treasurer for Orange County Central Labor Council, labor compliance officer, attorney. | 1/7/03 - present |
|
Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) |
Co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association, attorney for the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania and the Support Center for Child Advocates, won special election to fill a vacancy caused by resignation. | 11/13/18 - present |
|
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) |
State representative; director, Illinois Public Action; educator. | 1/6/99 - present |
|
Kim Schrier (D-WA) |
Pediatrician; community activist. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Terri Sewell (D-AL) |
Staffer for Senator Heflin and Congressman Shelby; attorney. | 1/5/11 - present |
|
Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) |
Federal prosecutor; U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) |
CIA analyst; small business owner. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) |
CIA operations officer; federal law enforcement agent. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Victoria Spartz (R-IN) |
State senator; finance executive; CFO at Indiana Attorney General’s office; small business owner. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Jackie Speier (D-CA) |
State senator; state assemblywoman; San Mateo county supervisor; legal counsel to congressmember; attorney. Won special election in 2008 to fill a vacancy caused by death. | 4/10/08 - present |
|
Michelle Steel (R-CA) |
Chairwoman of Orange County Board of Supervisors; California State Board of Equalization; MBA. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Elise Stefanik (R-NY) |
Small businesswoman; policy and communications strategist. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Haley Stevens (D-MI) |
Chief of staff on the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry; campaign volunteer organizer. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) |
President of Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; mayor of Tacoma; Tacoma City councilwoman; businesswoman; MBA. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Claudia Tenney (R-NY) |
U.S. Representative 2017-19; state representative; attorney and businesswoman. | 2/11/21 - present |
|
Dina Titus (D-NV) |
U.S. representative 2009-11; state senator and senate minority leader; professor of political science. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) |
State Representative; attorney; state legislative staff member. | 1/3/19-present |
|
Norma Torres (D-CA) |
State senator; assemblywoman; mayor and councilwoman in Pomona; union representative; 9-1-1 dispatcher. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Lori Trahan (D-MA) |
Congressional staffer; businesswoman. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Lauren Underwood (D-IL) |
Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; registered nurse. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) |
U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development Official; mayor of Irving; Irving city councilwoman. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) |
New York city council member; director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs; educator. | 1/5/93 - present |
|
Ann Wagner (R-MO) |
U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg; Senate campaign chair, Roy Blunt; co-chair, Republican National Committee; Missouri Republican Party chair. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Jackie Walorski (R-IN) |
State representative; missionary; higher education administrator; journalist. | 1/3/13 - present |
|
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) |
State senator; state representative. | 1/4/05 - present |
|
Maxine Waters (D-CA) |
State assemblywoman; educator. | 1/3/91 - present |
|
Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) |
State assembly (majority leader); state Democratic party chair; director of Office of Civil Rights in State Department of Transportation. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) |
State senator; attorney. | 1/3/19 - present |
|
Susan Wild (D-PA) |
Attorney; solicitor of Allentown, PA; won a special election to fill a vacancy. | 11/27/18 - present |
|
Nikema Williams (D-GA) |
State senator; Chair of Democratic Party of Georgia; VP for Public Policy at Planned Parenthood Southeast. | 1/3/21 - present |
|
Frederica Wilson (D-FL) |
State senator; state representative; school board member. | 1/5/11 - present |
| Delegates | ||
|
Jenniffer Gonzalez (R-PR) |
State representative; state GOP chairman; trained as an attorney. | 1/3/17 - present |
|
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) |
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chair; New York City Commission on Human Rights chair; law professor. | 1/3/91 - present |
|
Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) |
Virgin Islands economic development group; counsel to House of Representatives ethics committee; attorney. | 1/6/15 - present |
|
Amata Radewagen (R-AS) |
Community activist; Republican National Committeewoman; appointee to White House Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. | 1/6/15 - present |