First Analysis from Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026

Men dominate self-financing in political campaigns, and women candidates running for Congress are somewhat more reliant on small-dollar donations than men, according to the first analysis of data from Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026, a project of The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). CAWP, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, has recently updated The National View of its Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026 tracking of campaign finance in all congressional races. This update also reveals partisan disparities in fundraising among women in the Democratic and Republican parties.

“We are seeing that the resources flowing to men candidates usually exceed the resources flowing to women, and fewer women than men are running,” observed Kira Sanbonmatsu, the senior scholar who leads CAWP’s Women, Money, and Politics project. “Women and men are raising money for their congressional races in different ways, and this is the case across both parties. Men are more reliant on self-financing than women, meaning women candidates are more likely than men to turn to other funding sources. In some cases, women are leading the money race. We're also seeing that the average total raised by Democratic women is higher than the average for Democratic men in the most competitive U.S. House races. But women’s fundraising success depends on the type of race and political party. Republican women often raise similar amounts to Republican men; but far fewer Republican women are running.”

This data release analyzes campaign contributions to women and men congressional candidates by state, with additional insight into women candidates’ party and race/ethnicity. For each state, the analysis includes the total raised from individuals, proportion of funds from self-financing, and proportion of funds raised from small contributions, displaying campaign finance data available through April 15, 2026.

This release of Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026 provides the most up-to-date analytical lens through which to view women’s fundraising status in current congressional contests. Some key findings include:
 

Proportion of Funds from Self-financed Contributions

• Men running for Congress have a higher average proportion of funds from self-financing than women.
• This gender difference in self-financing holds in virtually every subgroup comparison by chamber, party, and type of candidate (incumbent/challenger/open-seat).

Proportion of Funds from Small Contributions

• In general, women running for Congress have a slightly higher average proportion of funds from contributions of $200 or less than men.
• However, men candidates have a higher average proportion of funds from small contributions than women when running as challengers for the U.S. Senate.
• Of the incumbent women seeking reelection, Representative LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) has the highest proportion of funds from small contributions amongst Democratic women; Representative Mary Miller (IL-15) has the highest proportion of funds from small contributions amongst Republican women.

Total Raised from Individuals

We analyzed the total amount raised from individuals including self-financing for all candidates by chamber, party, and incumbent/challenger/open-seat status. In this analysis, we found that:

• In most subgroups of candidates – combinations of chamber, party, and seat status (incumbent, challenger, open-seat) – a man was the top fundraiser nationwide.
• We also compared women candidates to one another by chamber and party. In this analysis, the following four candidates had the highest total raised among women within their chamber and party group:
  • Democratic women candidates
    • Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow (MI)
    • Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)
  • Republican women candidates
    • Senator Susan Collins (ME)
    • Representative Young Kim (CA-40)

We analyzed the top fundraisers in open U.S. House seats rated solidly Democratic or Republican by The Cook Political Report in states that have not yet held primary elections.

• Based on the total amount raised from individuals including self-financing, we found that Democratic women led the money race in 6 of 13 races among Democratic candidates running in open seats rated solidly Democratic.
• Only one Republican woman led the money race among Republican candidates running in the 23 races for open seats rated solidly Republican. In part, this imbalance reflects the lower proportion of Republican candidates who are women compared with the proportion of Democratic candidates who are women.

Party and Chamber Averages

We analyzed the average total amount raised from individuals including self-financing for all candidates by chamber, party, and incumbent/challenger/open-seat status. In this analysis, we found that:

• The average total raised for men was higher than the average raised by women in these subgroups:
  • U.S. Senate challenger candidates in both parties
  • U.S. House open-seat candidates in both parties
  • Republican U.S. Senate open-seat candidates 
• The average total raised for women was higher than the average raised by men in these subgroups:
  • U.S. House incumbent and challenger candidates in both parties
  • Democratic U.S. Senate open-seat candidates
  • Republican U.S. Senate incumbent candidates

Competitive Congressional Races

We conducted a separate analysis for The Cook Political Report’s most competitive congressional races.

• In the most competitive congressional races, nine of the ten candidates with the highest proportion of funds raised from self-financing are men.
• In the most competitive U.S. Senate races, the average total raised by Democratic men candidates is higher than the average raised by Democratic women.
• In the most competitive U.S. House races, the average total raised by Democratic women candidates is higher than the average raised by Democratic men.
• In the most competitive U.S. Senate races, the average total raised by Republican women candidates is higher than the average raised by Republican men. However, there are far fewer Republican women than men running in those contests.
• In the most competitive U.S. House races, the average total raised by Republican men is higher than the average raised by Republican women. However, there are far fewer Republican women than men running in those contests.

Republican Women Candidate Analysis

Our nationwide campaign finance analysis of Republican women candidates is based on a smaller number of candidates than our analysis of Democratic women candidates due to the much smaller number of Republican women running for Congress in 2026 compared with Democratic women.

Gender differences are evident among Republican congressional candidates nationwide in self-financing with men’s proportion of funds from self-financing exceeding women’s in both chambers. This pattern is evident in our analysis of The Cook Political Report’s most competitive U.S. House races.

Our nationwide analysis of Republican U.S. House candidates also reveals that Republican women are more likely than Republican men to raise their funds through small contributions of $200 or less. However, the average proportion of funds raised through small contributions by Republican U.S. Senate women and men candidates is similar.

Democratic Women Candidate Analysis

Our nationwide campaign finance analysis of Democratic women candidates is based on a larger number of candidates than Republican women candidates due to the much smaller number of Republican women running for Congress in 2026 compared with Democratic women.

Despite the higher proportion of women running as Democratic candidates, gender differences persist in how Democratic candidates are financing their campaigns.

Democratic women U.S. House incumbents and challengers on average are raising more than Democratic men. They also raise more on average as open-seat candidates in U.S. Senate races. However, in open-seat U.S. House races and challenger races for the U.S. Senate, Democratic men are raising more on average than Democratic women.

Gender differences are evident among Democratic candidates nationwide in self-financing, with men’s proportion of funds from self-financing exceeding women’s.

The gender difference in self-financing is also apparent in our analysis of The Cook Political Report’s most competitive congressional races, with Democratic men’s proportion of funds raised from self-financing higher than the average for Democratic women.

Our nationwide analysis of congressional candidates reveals that the average proportion of funds raised through small contributions of $200 or less is similar for Democratic women and Democratic men.

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Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026 uses interactive data visualizations powered by Graphicacy that are downloadable and shareable; follow the story as it develops on the project landing page and learn about previous donor gaps in election 2024 from our prior analysis. Stay tuned for our 2026 analysis of donor gaps in congressional elections and find all CAWP data about women in election 2026 at Election Watch. 

This research is made possible thanks to the generosity and commitment of Pivotal. Critical funding support for Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2026 was provided by Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden.