Eagleton finds women running for office at stagnating rates

The Eagleton Institute of Politics' Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) recently found that women have been running for public office at lower rates with fewer primary victories since 2022, according to CAWP's 2024 Summary of Women Candidates.

The data details how many women are running for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and gubernatorial races, as well as other down-ticket elections, using Cook Political Ratings to compile information and create fact sheets about women running for office across the U.S.

Chelsea Hill, director of data for CAWP, explained to The Daily Targum what the summary means in a historical context and its implications for New Jersey and the country. Women are a unique bloc of candidates with unique policy focuses, according to Hill.

"You certainly can't talk about women and the 2024 election without talking about the overturning of Roe v. Wade," Hill said.

Some of the issues that female candidates are focused on this election year include bodily autonomy, education and human rights, though she clarified that women campaign on a multitude of issues beyond these.

Regarding in-state races for federal seats, CAWP found that in New Jersey, the number of women in the congressional delegation is likely to increase from two representatives to 4 out of 12 total New Jersey representatives in Congress.

Beyond Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-11) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) who are incumbents likely to keep their seats, New Jersey Sen. Nellie Pou (D-35) and LaMonica McIver are also heavily favored to win their elections in the 9th and 10th congressional districts, respectively.

Pou received Gov. Phil Murphy's (D-N.J.) endorsement on August 29. If elected, she would be the first Latina to represent New Jersey in Congress. McIver's election against Republican Carmen Bucco unfolds Wednesday night, AP News reported.

There is also a fifth race in which Sue Altman is running in a toss-up race against incumbent Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-7) in the state's seventh congressional district, which appears to flip parties frequently and at margins of 10 percent or lower since 2016. Altman received an endorsement from the University's Adjunct Faculty Union on Friday.

While female candidate filings nationwide were at an all-time high in 2018 and 2020, this trend is beginning to slow, due in part to retirements.

"We have 14 incumbent women who are not going to be returning to the House," Hill said. "So, that creates a bit of space for new office holders to fill."

Many female candidates also face similar challenges in their races as they did in past election cycles, namely voters' perception of women occupying or seeking executive roles in politics, according to Hill.

But, challenges faced by female candidates are evolving.

"We're not talking about what women are wearing when they're running for office, as much as we used to," Hill said. "I think the conversations are starting to change in a more positive direction. It's more substantive."

These challenges also vary based on the candidates' political party. Democrats are often eager to vote for a woman, while Republicans turn away from identity politics.

The Democratic Party consistently has a higher number of women candidates, with women comprising 37.6 percent of its candidates, while Republican women comprise less than half of that rate, at 17.5 percent of candidates.

This disparity is wider looking at nominees, meaning candidates who won their party's primary election and are running in the general election. Democratic women nominees make up triple the rate of Republican women nominees at 45.9 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively.

In terms of winning their elections, Hill found that female candidates are beginning to reject stereotypes of women about their qualifications and ability to hold office without rejecting their female identities. Instead, many have come to embrace their identity as a source of power.

"If the (U.S.) is a representative democracy, then there should be 50 percent women in Congress, right? If it's supposed to be representative, it should represent the population," Hill said.