Election Night Resources for Women in the 2026 Midterms

Election Day 2026 is just one week away. The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, shares resources for covering women in the 2026 midterms on election night and beyond. In addition, CAWP experts will be available for commentary as election results come in and can provide analysis in the days following Election Day.
 

Resources

• CAWP Election Results Tracker This page will update with results for women candidates throughout election night and beyond until every result is determined. It tracks women winners for Congress (House and Senate), governor, and other statewide executive offices, comparing projected 2027 officeholders to current and record numbers. It also contains information on winners by race/ethnicity and party, lists non-incumbent women winners for Congress, and links to a sortable list of all projected 2027 officeholders.
• Election 2026: Potential Milestones and Firsts Every potential milestone for women in the 2026 midterms, including national milestones (for example, the first Black and Native American women governors could be elected this year) and state-by-state breakthroughs (for example, five states could elect their first women governors this year).
• Updated Outlooks for Women Candidates Using Cook Political Report data, this resource breaks down potential outcomes for women candidates for Congress and gubernatorial offices and how many women winners are needed to meet or exceed record levels.
• CAWP Social Media Follow CAWP on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky to get real-time results for women candidates, including milestone winners and potential new records for representation.
• 2026 Summary of Women Candidates Aggregated data on women candidates for congressional, gubernatorial, statewide executive, and state legislative offices with party breakdowns and comparisons to previous cycles and record levels.
• 2026 Candidate List Full list of all major-party women candidates running for congressional, gubernatorial, statewide executive, and state legislative offices.
• Women as Percentage of 2026 Major-Party Candidates and Nominees Provides context for the number of women running for congressional and gubernatorial offices by revealing their proportion of all candidates, with breakdowns by party.
• VotersHistorical information on women voters, gender gaps, and gender differences in voter turnout.
• Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026 Data on women as donors and recipients of campaign funds during the 2026 election.
• 2026 Woman vs. Woman Congressional and Gubernatorial Races Tracks contests where both major-party general election candidates are women. Also, find links to historical information on all-women general elections going back to the first such race in 1944.
• Nominees And Winners of State Legislative Contests by State, 1992-2026 Compares the number of women nominees and winners for state legislative offices by state over time.

Experts

Contact CAWP Director of Communications Daniel De Simone to speak with one of CAWP’s experts at ddesimone@eagleton.rutgers.edu or 760.703.0948. All CAWP experts listed below are well-versed in the breadth of women’s experience in American politics, but we have provided below some specific areas of expertise and interest:

• Debbie Walsh, Director With more than 40 years of experience at the Center for American Women and Politics, Walsh is one of America’s foremost experts on women’s engagement with politics. Some areas of expertise include the history of women in politics, political parties, progress in women’s representation, campaign messaging, women voters, and more.
• Jean Sinzdak, Associate Director In her work managing CAWP’s programs for women’s leadership, Sinzdak is knowledgeable about candidate recruitment and political pipelines, as well as milestones for women and politics and women in state legislatures.
• Dr. Kelly Dittmar, Director of Research Dr. Dittmar leads CAWP’s research team and can provide analysis about CAWP data on women candidates and officeholders, gender and campaigning, women voters, and how women operate in distinct political ecosystems.
• Dr. Kira Sanbonmatsu, Senior Scholar Dr. Sanbonmatsu is an expert on gender and campaign finance, race/ethnicity and politics, political parties, and is the lead author of CAWP's Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026.
• Dr. Paru Shah, Senior Scholar Dr. Shah's research interests include state politics, candidate emergence, elections, and racial/ethnic descriptive representation.

Find all information about women in the 2026 elections at CAWP’s Election Watch.