Primaries Set Up Major Milestones for Women in Minnesota and Tennessee

Primary elections were held recently in Alabama, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin, and these contests have set up major potential milestones for women's political representation in the United States. Minnesota and Tennessee are all but assured to elect their first women governors, as both states nominated women in both major-party primaries. Minnesota is also strongly likely to send the first Native American woman to the U.S. Senate in American history.

Full results for women candidates in federal and statewide executive races are available on this post on our Election Analysis page; there is one undecided race featuring a woman candidate, so this post will be updated once that contest is decided.
 

Alabama

• Based on primary election results from all U.S. House primaries (those held on May 19th and August 11th), women are 3 of 14 (21.4%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Alabama, including 2 of 7 (28.6%) Democrats and 1 of 7 (14.3%) Republicans. Of the 3 (2D, 1R) women nominees, only incumbent U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (D) is currently favored to win in November. 

Alabama held primaries for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and statewide executive offices on May 19, 2026. Due to redistricting, primaries for U.S. House contests in four districts were postponed until August 11, 2026. For U.S. Senate and statewide executive results, see our previous post. 

Connecticut

• Women are 3 of 10 (30%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Connecticut, including 2 of 5 (40%) Democrats and 1 of 5 (20%) Republicans. Of the 3 (2D, 1R) women nominees, both (2D) incumbents are currently favored to win in November. The sole (1R) non-incumbent woman nominee is running in a general election contest that currently favors her opponent.
• Women are 3 of 12 (25%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office in Connecticut, including 2 of 6 (33.3%) Democrats and 1 of 6 (33.3%) Republicans. 

Hawaii

• Women are 1 of 4 (25%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Hawaii, including 1 of 2 (50%) Democrats and 0 of 2 (0%) Republicans. Incumbent U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) – the only woman currently representing Hawaii in Congress – is currently favored to win in November.
• No women advanced in contests for Hawaii’s statewide elective executive offices. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke (D-HI) did not run for re-election.

Minnesota

• Minnesota is all but assured to elect its first woman governor in an all-woman general election contest between U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D) and state Speaker of the House Lisa DeMuth (R). This contest is currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report. Minnesota is one of 17 states that has never had a woman governor. If successful in November, DeMuth would also be the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. If Klobuchar is successful, she will leave the U.S. Senate before the end of her current term. Learn more about all-woman congressional and gubernatorial races, in 2026 and historically, on this CAWP fact page.
  • Klobuchar and DeMuth are 2 of 10 (20%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office in Minnesota.
• Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan (D) and Michelle Tafoya (R) will compete in an all-woman, open-seat contest for U.S. Senate in Minnesota that is currently rated as “Likely Democrat” by Cook Political Report. If successful in November, Flanagan would be the first Native American woman in the U.S. Senate. Tafoya, if successful, would be the first Latina and the first Republican woman to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. 
• Women are 5 of 16 (31.3%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Minnesota, including 4 of 8 (50%) Democrats and 1 of 8 (12.5%) Republicans. 
  • All 4 (3D, 1R) incumbent women nominees are favored to win re-election in November. Incumbent U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D) will not return to Congress after running unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. 
  • Non-incumbent challenger Trina Swanson (D) will face incumbent U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R) in a general election contest currently rated as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report. 

South Carolina

• Incumbent U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R) advanced to a runoff election to secure the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. Graham was appointed to fill out the current term of her brother, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, upon his death in July 2026. The winner of the special election primary runoff election on August 25, 2026 will replace former Senator Graham on the general election ballot for a full Senate term that will begin in 2027. 
   

Tennessee

• Tennessee is all but assured to elect its first woman governor in an all-woman general election contest between U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) and Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green (D). This contest is currently rated as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report. Tennessee is one of 17 states that has never had a woman governor.
• Marquita Bradshaw (D) won the Democratic nomination in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate election. She will challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R) in a contest currently rated as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report; Hagerty defeated Bradshaw by 27 points in the 2020 U.S. Senate election. If successful in November, Bradshaw would be the first Black woman in the U.S. Congress from Tennessee and the first Democratic woman senator from the state.
• Women are 6 of 18 (33.3%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Tennessee, including 5 of 9 (55.6%) Democrats and 1 of 9 (11.1%) Republicans. Of the 6 (5D, 1R) women nominees for U.S. House, only incumbent U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R) is currently favored to win in November. Harshbarger is the only woman currently representing Tennessee in the U.S. House.

Vermont

• Amanda Janoo (D) won the Democratic nomination for governor of Vermont. She will challenge incumbent Governor Phil Scott (R) in a contest currently rated as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report. If successful in November, Janoo would be the first Asian American/Pacific Islander woman in statewide elective executive office in Vermont. She would also be the first Democratic Asian American/Pacific Islander woman governor in the United States.
• Women are 4 of 12 (33.3%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office in Vermont, including 4 of 6 (66.7%) Democrats and 0 of 6 (0%) Republicans. 
• A woman is 1 of 2 (50%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Vermont. Incumbent U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D) – the only woman who has served in the U.S. House from Vermont – is currently favored to win in November. 

Wisconsin

• Women are 2 of 10 (20%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office in Wisconsin, including 2 of 5 (40%) Democrats and 0 of 5 (0%) Republicans. 
  • Incumbent Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski (D) ran successfully for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor instead of running for re-election as secretary of state. 
  • If successful in November, Democratic nominee for secretary of state JoCasta Zamarripa would be the first Latina in statewide elective executive office in Wisconsin. 
• Women are 2 of 14 (14.3%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Wisconsin, including 2 of 7 (28.6%) Democrats and 0 of 7 (0%) Republicans. One (1D) woman candidate is in a Democratic primary contest that remains too close to call in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District. 
  • Incumbent U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D) – the only woman currently representing Wisconsin in the U.S. House – is currently favored to win in November. 
  • Rebecca Cooke won the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. Representative Derrick Van Orden (R) in a contest currently rated as a toss up by Cook Political Report. This is a rematch of the 2024 contest in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, where Van Orden won by 2.4 points. Learn more about women who run again after an election loss at our Rebound Candidates resource.

For more information, see the full analysis of how women fared in yesterday's contests on our Election Analysis page. Complete context about women in the 2026 elections can be found on CAWP's Election Watch.