The 2022 US midterm elections have arrived. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, along with one-third seats of the US Senate are up for elections. In addition, gubernatorial elections will be held in 36 US States as well as at the municipal level for local officials.

The midterm elections this year have witnessed record-breaking participation from underrepresented groups, especially women.  Overall 309 women are running for seats in the House of Representatives, US Senate, and for Governor seats. With a higher participation rate than in the 2018 midterm elections, many women candidates now have the opportunity to create history.

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Gubernatorial Elections

A record 25 women are running for governorship. Up until this year, 19 US States have never had a female governor – Arkansas, California,  Colorado,  Florida,  Georgia,  Idaho,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Maryland,  Minnesota,  Mississippi,  Missouri,  Nevada,  North Dakota,  Pennsylvania,  Tennessee,  Virginia,  West Virginia, and Wisconsin. A win for a woman candidate in these states will be historic.

The biggest name on the Arkansas ballot this year is Sarah Sanders, who is gearing up to become the first woman governor of the state, with nearly 99% of expected winning chances.

In the states of Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, and Arizona, the major candidates are women, thus almost ensuring governance by a female.

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Two close races between women candidates have especially gained the attention of voters. In Oregon’s governor race, Republican Christine Drazan has more than a 50% chance of winning against Democrat Tina Kotek, while in Arizona, Republican Kari Lake has a greater chance of winning against Democrat Katie Hobbs.

These gains are significant since the number of women in the position of Governor has been significantly low across the US. This is because voters’ prejudice against female candidates is recorded to be stronger particularly when women run for executive-level offices, like governor or President. Decades of social research have found that voters are more comfortable electing women when they run to be part of a group like in a state legislature or Congress rather than a position of high-level leadership.

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Racial and Political lines

More women across racial and political lines are also running for office this year. The Centre for American Women and Politics which tracks women candidate filing and nomination showed an increase in women candidates not only in gubernatorial races but in congressional nominees as well.

“Women were responsible for flipping the greatest number of seats in the U.S. House in both of the last two cycles. They flipped some key gubernatorial races. They’re good candidates … they’re proving that they can win,” Director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics, Kelly Dittmar said.

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At the Federal level, minority women including Latina and Black women also saw a rise in participation.

“We do have a record number of Latina nominees for the U.S. House. They’re among the only racial and ethnic groups of women that are also breaking that nominee record. We can elect the first Latina from a number of states including a very likely case in Oregon, and Illinois, among others,” said Dittmar.

About the increased candidacy interest of Black women; Glynda C. Carr, president and co-founder of Higher Heights for America, said, “When we see Black women and women running, when and lead boldly once elected, that inspires a generation of other women and Black women to consider running for office.”

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With respect to the issues that have acted as a drive for increased women’s participation are mostly concerning abortion, one of the key issues the 2022 midterm elections are focusing on. A recent survey by Kaiser Family Foundation showed that more than half of the female voters were also motivated to vote because of abortion concerns.