Republican Women Struggle to Keep Pace in Congressional Races, Experts Warn

WASHINGTON — A notable disparity exists between the efforts of Republicans and Democrats in electing women to Congress, according to experts on women in politics. Despite women making up half the population, their representation within the Republican Party continues to lag.

Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, highlighted alarming statistics during a recent media call. “This year’s data shows clearly that Republican women are falling behind in candidacies, nominations, and even primary contest success,” she stated. Conversely, Democratic women are not only surpassing their male counterparts but are also nearing parity in both nominations and office holding.

Currently, women occupy about 29% of the total seats in Congress. In the House of Representatives, 126 women serve, with only 34 identifying as Republicans. The Senate reflects a similarly low number, with 25 female lawmakers, nine of whom are affiliated with the GOP.

CAWP’s Director of Data, Chelsea Hill, emphasized the stark differences in representation. Overall, women represent 31.1% of general election nominees for the House; however, a significant gap exists between the parties. “Women continue to be significantly underrepresented as a percentage of all U.S. House and Senate candidates,” Hill explained. “But Republican women constitute a considerably smaller percentage of their party’s candidates compared to Democratic women.”

In the current election cycle, women comprise only 16.2% of GOP House candidates, a decline from previous years. In contrast, female candidates represent 45.9% of Democratic prospects for the House, reflecting a rise compared to 2022.

When examining the Senate, female candidates account for 30.9% of nominees. Democratic women comprise 46.9% of candidates for that chamber, standing in stark contrast to Republican women, who hold only 17.6% of Senate nominations — the smallest share in recent cycles.

Experts attribute the limited participation of Republican women to various structural factors and differing perceptions about the significance of female representation among party leadership and voters. Kelly Dittmar, CAWP’s Director of Research, noted that if party leaders don’t recognize women’s underrepresentation as an issue, it hampers the creation of support systems essential for candidate recruitment.

Furthermore, Dittmar pointed to a specific instance: the discontinuation of “Project Grow,” a program designed to recruit female GOP lawmakers into the “Young Guns” program, which primarily focuses on general recruitment. This shift suggests a lack of commitment to addressing gender disparities within the party.

While changes within the Republican Party under former President Donald Trump and the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade influence some dynamics, Dittmar argues these events do not entirely explain the ongoing decline in female Republican candidates. “There are conservative Republican women across the country who could be recruited and supported,” she asserted.

Walsh noted a cultural aversion within the GOP toward engaging in identity politics, contrasting it with the Democratic Party’s strategy of promoting representation. “The Democratic Party values this approach, whereas the Republican Party emphasizes that the best candidate should rise to the top,” she explained. This fundamental philosophical difference significantly impacts candidate recruitment efforts.

As the electoral landscape evolves, the divergence in approach highlights the challenges Republican women face in securing candidacies and office positions.