A record number of women have been nominated for state legislative office in 2026. According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), 3,794 women are nominees for state legislative races this year, surpassing the previous record of 3,621 set in 2022. Democratic women also set a new record, with 2,571 nominees in 2026, exceeding the previous record of 2,402 in 2018. Republican women have not reached their previous record of 1,291 nominees, set in 2022, with 1,197 Republican women nominated this year. These numbers may change slightly before Election Day as candidates are added to or removed from ballots.
The record number of women nominees comes as state legislatures continue to make decisions on policies that directly affect people’s daily lives. State lawmakers address issues including paid family leave, child care, sexual harassment, women’s healthcare, domestic violence, the gender wage gap, fertility care, and contraceptive access. State governments can also play an important role when federal protections change or are limited.
The absence of elected female state officials directly impacts how policy supports women. When looking at sexual violence policy, Mississippi operates without state laws preventing workplace sexual harassment. When observing their legislature statistics, only 15.5% of elected officials are women. In West Virginia, there is a near-complete abortion ban, and in their 134-member legislature, only 16 members are women. Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly, as in one of every five states, women make up less than 25% of their state legislatures.
Despite their underrepresentation, women have proven to be more effective legislators than their male counterparts. A 2018 study found that, on average, female candidates have more experience in elected office than men. Additionally, women legislators were found to introduce more bills and see more of their legislation enacted than their male colleagues. Democratic women specifically have been found to enact more bills than Democratic men, Republican men, and Republican women.
This is critical as women are most likely to champion legislation that supports women and families and get that legislation passed. As findings state, all legislators serving in legislatures with greater representation of women introduced and enacted more legislation than did legislators serving in legislatures that were less gender balanced.
The record number of women nominees in 2026 marks another increase in women’s participation in state legislative elections. Whether that translates into more women serving in statehouses will depend on the results of the November general election. But the ball is in our court, as women of all demographics have registered and voted at higher rates than men in every presidential election since 1980. So, vote, volunteer, donate, and elect strong female leaders. The country deserves leaders who are effective, qualified, and supportive of women and families.
Check your voter registration status at vote411.org/feminist.