Women in 116th Congress

    Women now make up 26 percent of the Senate and 23 percent of the House, the highest percentages ever.

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    Women in Congress

    Welcoming several of the new female Congressional Black Caucus members (Senator Kamala Harris/Public domain)

    In the 2018 midterm elections, women who ran for office and won election to the 116th U.S. Congress expanded their power and influence in politics. In US History a total of 326 women have served in the U.S. House of Representatives

    Women gained record levels of representation, with 26 in the U.S. Senate and 101 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    In six states, both U.S. Senators are women.

    Women now make up 26 percent of the Senate and 23 percent of the House, the highest percentages ever.

    The 116th Congress is also the most diverse in history.

    More women in Congress are people of color than ever before. Two are Muslims and two are Native Americans, the first women of either background to be elected.

    Congress is closer to reflecting the diversity of the American population than at any other time since the country’s founding.

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