Eagleton report finds underrepresentation of women in campaign contributions

The Eagleton Institute of Politics' Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), working alongside OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan organization researching the flow of money in the government, released a report titled "Women, Money and Politics Watch 2024" about congressional campaign contributions in the 2024 election cycle.

"The analysis includes the total raised from individuals, proportion of funds from self-financing and proportion of funds raised from small contributions, displaying campaign finance data available through July 15," according to a press release.

Kira Sanbonmatsu, a professor in the Department of Political Science and CAWP senior scholar, is the leader of the project.

The report found that women are underrepresented in campaign contributions, accounting for only 37 percent of the money donated to congressional campaigns, compared to men's 63 percent.

"We conducted an in-depth analysis of state elections dating back over two decades, and what we find there, as we're finding at the congressional level this year, is that women are underrepresented in terms of the money contributed," said Sanbonmatsu.

The disparity is more pronounced with women of color. Black, Latina and Asian American women each only account for 1 percent of congressional campaign contributions.

This difference is likely related to the gender pay gap, suggested Sanbonmatsu.

"We know that women earn less, women hold less wealth, and those differences are even more pronounced when you start looking at the intersection of gender and race," said Sanbonmatsu.

Women are more likely to vote than men are, but there is less of a tradition among women of donating to campaigns.

While new data hasn't been collected since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race in July, "she has fundamentally changed expectations for the money that women of color candidates can raise, and she has gotten a lot of new donors involved, according to her campaign," said Sanbonmatsu.

Sanbonmatsu said that women are also represented more in regard to contributions toward Democratic candidates versus Republicans.

Women have given 42 percent of the money sent to Democratic congressional candidates while only 29 percent of the money contributed to Republican congressional campaigns has been from women, according to another release.

When looking at the number of women, not the amount of money, who donate to congressional campaigns, it is approximately equal to the number of men who donate.

The report divides candidates into subgroups based on the congressional chamber, incumbency status and political party.

The average total amount raised was higher for female candidates in the subgroups of House of Representatives incumbents from both parties, Republican open-seat Senate races and Republican House seat challengers. In all other subgroups, the average total amount raised was higher for male candidates.

"Incumbents usually have an edge because there are known quantities and they stand a good chance of winning reelection," said Sanbonmatsu, on whether funding differs between incumbents and newcomers.

However, Sanbonmatsu said that challengers are able to close that gap in competitive and commercial races if their political parties take a specific interest. These competitive races tend to be more expensive.

The source and strategy of financing can differ based on the gender of the candidate, Sanbonmatsu said.

"Women candidates usually raise more of their money from smaller contributions, and we also find that women are less likely than men to be funding their own campaigns," said Sanbonmatsu.

The report is being continuously updated based on the release of data from the Federal Election Commission.

"The center does help women learn how to run for office, and provides skills and a network for women who are getting their start in New Jersey politics," said Sanbonmatsu.