Fueled by Democratic gains, women will hold a record of state legislative seats

The number of women serving in state legislatures will set a new record following strong Democratic performance in last week’s midterm elections. 

Though many races remain too close to call, an analysis by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University shows at least 2,559 women will serve in state legislatures. That represents nearly 35% of all state lawmakers and beats the 2026 record of 2,488 women in legislatures.

Election results also show a new record of six state legislatures will reach gender parity, or at least 50% women: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Nevada and New Mexico, the center found. 

Those gains follow a historic election in which Democrats swept control of Congress, flipped hundreds of state legislative seats and won a majority of governorships for the first time in 16 years. 

Women will hold a record number of seats in state senates and state houses, though the rise is driven solely by the increasing number of Democratic women elected. In fact, the number of Republican women will fall in state legislatures next year — from 867 today to at least 675 in upcoming sessions. 

“While these are impressive gains for the overall number of women and Democratic women in state legislatures around the country, this is a significant decline for Republican women,” Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics, said in a Friday news release. “…It is past time the Republican Party put in the work to mitigate the ever-widening partisan gap in women’s representation.”

In historic night, voters elect 5 Black governors, including first woman, first Republican

Current election results show women will hold about 35% of all state legislative seats next year. That figure is currently 32.43%, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. About 64% of the women currently in state legislatures are Democrats.

Across the political spectrum, research shows lower levels of political ambition among women. Women tend to underestimate their own qualifications, are more averse to competition and receive less recruitment and encouragement to run for office. Many women also work full-time and are primary caregivers. 

But the number of women serving in legislatures has increased nearly 40% over the past decade, according to government relations firm MultiState. Still, representation varies wildly: Women hold more than half of seats in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, but fewer than 15% of seats in West Virginia, South Carolina and Mississippi.

This election cycle also set a record for the number of women governors with at least 18 women slated to serve as their state’s executive. The midterms also notched other records: For the first time ever, five Black governors will serve simultaneously in the United States. Voters also elected the nation’s first Black woman governor, the first Black Republican governor and the first Native American woman governor. 

Congress will also see a record number of women serving. The center also tracked record numbers of Black, Latina and Native American women elected to Congress. 

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at [email protected].