Fewer women will serve on Capitol Hill, but they’re setting new records in the states
Originally published by Simone Pathe, Renée Rigdon and Arit John for CNN
The new year brings a mixed picture for women’s political representation – the highest glass ceiling in American politics remains intact, but female governors and state legislators are setting new records.
The number of women in Congress is decreasing but not by much. Overall, 150 women will serve on Capitol Hill in the new Congress, down from the record of 152 set in 2024. It’s the first time since the 2016 election that there won’t be a net gain in women’s congressional representation as a result of an election, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University (CAWP).
Partisan differences are more revealing: Democratic women in Congress overall and in the US House are setting new records, despite their party losing both chambers. The number of GOP women is decreasing in the House and Congress overall but staying the same in the Senate.