Joint report examines the women who
ran, won and donated in 2020 

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Brendan Quinn, [email protected]
Contact: Pete Quist, [email protected]

WASHINGTON, December 21, 2020 — The 2020 elections saw unprecedented political giving at both the state and federal level and a new joint analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics explores the role that women played in this record-breaking cycle, both as candidates and as donors.

Come January, Congress and many state legislatures will become more representative of the nation as a whole, with women holding more seats than ever before. And in both state and federal races, women raised more money than in any prior cycle.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Between 2016 and 2020, the percentage of women candidates in gubernatorial and state legislative races saw a massive jump, from 25 percent to 32 percent.
• At least 142 women will hold seats in the next Congress, an all-time high mark.
• While Democratic women won big in the 2018 midterms, it was Republican women who made record gains in 2020.
• In 2020 races for the House and Senate, women candidates outraised men on average, while also nearly closing the gap in state level contests.
• In 2020 races, women donors accounted for 33 percent of donations to congressional candidates and 31 percent of donations to state level candidates, both records.

See the data here
 

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS
Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation’s premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Founded in 1983, CRP’s vision is for Americans to be empowered by access to clear and unbiased information about money’s role in politics and policy and to use that knowledge to strengthen our democracy. Find the center online at OpenSecrets.org. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MONEY IN POLITICS
The nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute on Money in Politics collects and analyzes campaign contribution information on state and federal candidates, political party committees, and ballot committees in all 50 states. Its free, searchable database of contributions is online at FollowTheMoney.org.