Number of Women in Congress Set to Decline for First Time in Over a Decade

The number of women in Congress is set to decrease for the first time in over a decade after a significant jump during Donald Trump's first presidency and a smaller increase during Joe Biden's term.

Currently there are 151 female lawmakers in Congress. But that number could drop to 150 depending on the results of a couple races that still have yet to be called, as reported by NBC News.

This would be the first time that number drops, after the number of female lawmakers increased every election cycle since 2012. The number of women increased in 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2022, and stayed the same in 2016, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP).

Whether or not that number drops depends on a Southern California race that is separated by just around 300 votes. Officials have deemed the race for House between Republican Rep. Michelle Steel and Democratic challenger Derek Tran too close to call, as reported by The Guardian. Tran currently has a slight lead over Steel.

Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola recently lost her race in Alaska to Republican challenger Nick Begich, as reported by the Associated Press.

Fewer women ran for seats in Congress in 2024. According to CAWP, 259 women ran this year, compared to 260 in 2022 and 298 in 2020.

The number of Republican women in Congress is set to fall from 34 to either 32 or 31, depending on the results on race in Iowa that is being recounted between Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan. That race is said to be separated by just around 800 votes, as reported by KCRG.

Meanwhile, Democrats are set to have 94 women in the House and 16 in the Senate following this election cycle.