Women Set Record for House Candidates in 2026

A record 590 women filed to run for U.S. House seats, and women will hold 25.4% of seats in the incoming 120th Congress.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Women’s Issues

Women Set Record for House Candidates in 2026

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A record 590 women filed to run for U.S. House seats in 2026, surpassing the previous record of 583 set in 2020. Women will account for 25.4% of the incoming 120th Congress, which includes 136 women: 113 in the House and 23 in the Senate.

Why it matters

The figures track women's representation in Congress as the outgoing 119th Congress had 152 women, or 28.4% of its 535 voting members. The incoming Congress shows a decline of 16 women from that total despite the record candidate filings.

The Center for American Women and Politics roster counts 136 women for the 120th Congress, including 113 House members and 23 senators. Of 271 women who secured major-party nominations, 198 are Democrats and 73 are Republicans, and the final composition will only be known once the November 2026 results are certified.

The players

Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP)

A research center at Rutgers University that tracks women's representation in elected office and maintains the roster used to count women in Congress.

The details

Women made up 45.5% of Democratic House nominees and 17.6% of Republican House nominees, with women accounting for 31.8% of all major-party House nominees. The roster includes 16 incumbent women senators, 13 Democrats and three Republicans.

2016: Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump.
2020: 583 women filed for House seats, setting the previous record.
2026: A record 590 women filed for House seats in the midterm elections.
November 2026: 271 women advanced as major-party nominees for the general election.
January 2027: The 120th Congress convenes with 136 women members.

Historical Context

The 2026 filings extend a trend CAWP has tracked since the 2016 election, when Hillary Clinton lost the presidential race to Donald Trump. Even with 590 women filing, the incoming Congress's 25.4% share falls below the 28.4% held by the outgoing 119th Congress.

Voters in the November 2026 midterms will determine how many of the 271 women nominees win seats in the House and Senate. The final balance of women in Congress will shape which issues receive representation when the 120th Congress convenes in January 2027.

The takeaway

Record candidate filings do not guarantee greater representation, as the incoming Congress's share of women is projected to fall below the outgoing Congress's level. Readers following the midterms can track how many of the 271 nominees are elected.