Three weeks post-Election Day we know much more about what happened, and why. This month’s Insider offers a quick recap, plus some of our favorite articles that start to pick apart the puzzle of 2024.
As you’ll see, the results for women below the top of the ticket are much more positive than we had first understood—and for that we are grateful. As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to thank our EWA community for all of the support throughout this long election cycle, as well as a special thank you to our candidates for working tirelessly for two years to fight for these wins.
We want to especially appreciate Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran a remarkable campaign in 107 short days. While we did not get the outcome we had hoped for, we were proud to support her. Wishing you all a restful and healing Thanksgiving.
US Senate: Dem Women Defy Expectations
🔁 Quick Recap: Democratic women in competitive races outperformed Democratic men, despite being outraised 2:1.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI), Sen. Jacky Rosen (NV) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI) held on to Democratic seats, despite all three states falling to Trump in the presidential election, while male Senators in Trump states—Sen. Bob Casey, Sen. Sherrod Brown and Sen. Jon Tester—lost. Q3 fundraising reports showed men raised an average of $26 million versus women’s $13 million.
These wins, plus Angela Alsobrooks (MD) and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE) winning safe Dem seats formerly held by men, will allow women to maintain our Senate numbers in the 119th Congress, at 25.
📰 Analysis & News:
The 2024 Senate Undervote: Not High By Historical Standards [The Center for Politics]
What Was Behind the Return of Senate Split-Ticket Voting [Cook Political Report]
US Sen. Tammy Baldwin on her 2024 win And the 119th Congress [PBS Wisconsin]
How Democrat Jacky Rosen won Nevada’s Senate race in a Trump year [The NV Independent]
For the first time, the U.S. Senate will have two Black women [The 19th News]
🔖 Bookmark:
Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations [The New York Times]
US House: Dem Women Hold the Line
🔁 Quick Recap: Democratic women helped prevent a precipitous drop in representation, despite the poor political environment.
An 81 percent win rate among Democratic female House incumbents, plus victories for 16 new Democratic women (compared to only two Republicans), will blunt the loss of female representation in the House. In the 119th Congress there will be 125 women, down from 127 this year. At least 94 will be Democrats—the same as the current Congress—while Republicans will lose at least four.
📰 Analysis & News:
The House District Results That Tell the Presidential Story [Center for Politics]
House Democrats Blunt Their Losses by Winning Trump Seats [Cook Political Report]
The House District Results That Tell the Presidential Story [The Center for Politics]
This House Democrat Keeps Winning in Trump Country. Here’s What She Knows [The New York Times]
State & Local: Abortion Rights: 👍 Women Candidates: 😐
🔁 Quick Recap: Pro-abortion rights measures did well, even as women running statewide and in legislatures faced mixed prospects.
Pro-abortion initiatives passed with strong majorities in Arizona (62%), Colorado (62%), Maryland (76%), Missouri (52%), Montana (58%), Nevada (64%) and New York (62%). Though Florida’s didn’t secure the 60% it needed to pass, it won a strong majority (57%).
However, that didn’t translate to a strong down-ballot performance for Democratic women. Women will set a record for representation in state legislatures—2,450, up from this year’s record of 2,424. But Republican women will hold 851 of those—up from 815 this year—while Democratic women will hold 1,579, a slight decrease from this year’s 1,583.
🔊 On Our Radar: Both gubernatorial races we were watching this year—Joyce Craig (NH) and Jennifer McCormick (IN)—disappointed, but we’ll have two strong opportunities again next year in Abigail Spanberger (VA) and Mikie Sherrill (NJ). Plus, in 2026 we’ll have four female incumbents to protect in AZ, MA, NY and OR, and a number of non-incumbent women running.
🔖 Bookmark:
Results for Women State Legislative Candidates in Election 2024 [CAWP]
📰 Analysis & News:
Initial Post-Election State Legislative Analysis [Sister District]
What Happened With Abortion Rights [Tom Bonier, Substack]
13 states will have women governors next year, a new record [NPR]
Can these Capitol Hill roommates lead Democrats out of the wilderness? [The Washington Post]
National & Women: Red Mirage Receding
The further we get from Election Day, the more we’re seeing that Trump’s win—while seeming decisive three weeks ago—is actually quite shallow. While it’s true that he improved his margin with some traditionally Democratic groups, his overall popular vote margin has shrunk. It’s now down to 1.6 percent and still dropping, making it the tightest popular vote margin since 2000. His total vote share is below 50 percent, meaning most Americans did not vote for him, and he does not have a popular mandate, despite what he claims.
Data is also starting to show that where VP Harris campaigned the hardest, she closed huge polling gaps on issues like the economy and immigration, meaning her persuasion game was strong—she might have just not had enough time to close the deal.
🔖 Bookmarks:
2024 Election Results Tracker [CAWP]
2024 National Popular Vote Tracker [Cook Political Report]
📊 Good Data:
2024 American Electorate Voter Poll [AARC/BSP Research]
Public Narrowly Approves of Trump’s Plans [PEW Research]
📰 Analysis & News:
A deep dive into the 2024 Latino male electorate [Brookings]
What the gender gap tells us about Trump’s win [538]
Harris lost support from women overall — but not women over 65 [The 19th News]
How Virginia Illustrates the 2024 Election [The Center for Politics]
🖊️ Essays & Commentary
The country may have failed us, but we won’t fail each other. [Jessica Valenti, Substack]
The Way Harris Lost Will Be Her Legacy [Tressie McMillan Cottom, The New York Times]