Record Number of Women Running for U.S. House

There is a new record for women candidates for U.S. House, according to the latest data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. In the 2026 midterms, 590 women have filed to run for House seats, surpassing the record of 583, set in 2020 and met again in 2022. This also far exceeds the 467 women who ran for House in the most recent election cycle in 2024. This new record is driven in large part by a considerable increase in the number of Democratic women running.

Because the number of Democratic men running for the U.S. House is also up from 2024 to 2026, women are still just over one-third (33.6%) of all Democratic House candidates. The increase in House candidates since 2024 is much smaller for Republicans, and women are just 19.1% of Republicans running this year. Women are 27% of all House candidates in 2026, nearly identical to their representation (26.8%) in 2024.

“Reaching new highs for women candidates creates more opportunities for increasing the number of women in office,” said CAWP Director of Research Kelly Dittmar. “But achieving gender parity among candidates, nominees, and officeholders will only happen if elevating women is a priority for both parties.”
 

Women U.S. House Candidates 2026 

• Overall: 590 (new record)
  • Previous record: 583, set in 2020
  • 2024 number: 467
• Democrats: 402 (new record)
  • Previous record: 356, set in 2020
  • 2024 number: 301
• Republicans: 188
  • Record: 261, set in 2022
  • 2024 number: 166

 
***

Here is the latest data for filed women candidates in 2026 races for U.S. Senate and governorships. Comparing these races over time is somewhat more difficult than with the U.S. House, because the number of races held in each cycle varies, and factors like the staggering of incumbencies can impact year-over-year numerical comparisons.
 

Women Senate Candidates 2026 

• Overall: 63
  • Record: 70, set in 2022
  • 2024 number: 50
• Democrats: 32
  • Record: 37, set in 2020
  • 2024 number: 29
• Republicans: 31
  • Record: 38, set in 2022
  • 2024 number: 21

Women Gubernatorial Candidates 2026 

The last time this number of gubernatorial seats were up for election was in 2022, so we compare here 2026 to 2022 numbers. 

• Overall: 85 (new record)
  • Previous record: 69, set in 2022
  • 2022 number: 69
• Democrats: 51 (new record)
  • Previous record: 41, set in 2018
  • 2022 number: 32
• Republicans: 34
  • Record: 37, set in 2022
  • 2022 number: 37

For all the latest data and analysis on women in the 2026 midterm elections, including women as a percentage of candidates and nominees across levels of office, visit CAWP’s Election Watch.