August 20, 2024

CAWP Senior Scholar Kira Sanbonmatsu and Research Associate Shikshya Adhikari have released the latest phase of the Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2024 project, entitled The National View, which offers a comprehensive analysis of campaign contributions to women and men congressional candidates across all 50 states, using data up to July 15, 2024.



In the analysis, we discovered:

• Men running for Congress have a higher average proportion of funds from self-financing than women.
• Women congressional candidates, on average, receive a higher average proportion of funds from contributions of $200 or less than men.
• A man was the top fundraiser nationwide in almost every subgroup of candidates (which included combinations of chamber, party, and seat status i.e. incumbent, challenger, open-seat).
• The only exception was Mayra Flores (TX-34), a Latina Republican, who was the top fundraiser among GOP challengers for the U.S. House.
• We also analyzed fundraising among women candidates within their respective chamber and party. The top fundraisers are: 
• Democratic women: Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)
• Republican women: Senate candidate Kari Lake (AZ) and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14)

With interactive data visualizations powered by Graphicacy that are downloadable and shareable, the National View phase of Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2024 is available here.

Pictured (left to right): OARC's Travis Williams and CAWP's Shikshya Adhikari

CAWP's Kira Sanbonmatsu and Shikshya Adhikari have teamed up with Rutgers University's Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) to harness the power of the Amarel supercomputer to support the Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2024 project. The partnership has accelerated the analysis of campaign contributions. With the expertise of OARC senior scientist Travis Williams, the research team has been able to automate and streamline complex data matching tasks and has enabled CAWP to expand the research across multiple states. Read the full story about this partnership in Rutgers Today. 

Our Election Watch team shared key takeaways from recent primary elections around the country. Here are a few highlights:



• A record 10 (7D, 3R) women won major-party nominations for the U.S. House in Minnesota. 
• Incumbent U.S. Representative Cori Bush (D) from Missouri was defeated in her primary bid for re-election. She is the first incumbent woman in the U.S. House to lose a primary contest in election 2024.
• In Vermont, Esther Charlestin (D) won the Democratic nomination for governor. She will challenge incumbent Governor Phil Scott (R) in a race currently rated as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report. If successful, Charlestin would be the first Black woman governor in the U.S.
• Washington has the potential to elect its first woman treasurer. Sharon Hanek (R) will challenge incumbent Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti (D) in November. If successful, Hanek would be the first Asian American/Pacific Islander woman to be elected statewide in Washington. In addition, former U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) is the Republican nominee for commissioner of public lands (an open seat). If successful, she would be the first Latina elected statewide in Washington.

For more details on these results or other states, please visit our Election Results and Analysis page. And stay tuned for tomorrow's updates, when the Election Watch team will cover the Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming primary elections.

As the Democratic National Convention convenes in Chicago this week, CAWP is ready with resources, analysis and context for the historic nomination of Kamala Harris — the first Black woman, first Asian American person, first multiracial woman, and only the second woman to be the presidential nominee of a major party.

“This week, Americans will watch something they have never seen before. At CAWP, we know that representation matters beyond the symbolic gravity of moments like these. Having a multiracial woman, the child of immigrants, lead one of America’s major political parties provides a new perspective on the policies that impact all our daily lives,” said CAWP Director Debbie Walsh. “But we also cannot ignore the symbolism of this moment. A generation of young people will watch Kamala Harris run for president, forever altering the conception of who can lead at the highest levels.” 

Kelly Dittmar, CAWP’s Director of Research and Forbes contributor, explores this pivotal moment in her article, “When It Comes To Breaking That Highest, Hardest Glass Ceiling, Kamala Harris Is Looking To Finish The Job,” discussing what has changed for women presidential candidates between 2016 and 2024.

Find resources on women and the presidency, as well as information about women in the 2024 elections, in our recent media advisory. 

Don’t miss Breaking Marble Ceilings: Women, Power, and the Mayor's Office next Monday, August 26th! We’re delighted to co-host this event with 1st Amendment-1st Vote, a non-partisan, civics opportunity for high school teens who identify as girls to engage in the democratic process and to imagine themselves in elected office or professional government-related jobs.



Featured speakers include:



• Mayor Lily Mei, Fremont, CA
• Mayor Michelle Romero, Henderson, NV
• Former Mayor Diana Smith, Seneca Falls, NY
• Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge, LA
• Karen M. Greenwald, award-winning author of A Vote for Susanna

Our panelists will share their paths to leadership and discuss strategies to increase women's representation in mayoral and municipal offices. The panel will be moderated by Jean Sinzdak, CAWP’s associate director, and Rima Khan, who serves on the 1st Amendment-1st Vote’s Student Voice Team. Register today to learn from these accomplished women mayors. 

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