CAWP News & Notes: It's the Latest

Women Outvoted Men (Again) in 2016

CAWP has updated its fact sheet, Gender Differences in Voter Turnout, incorporating the latest U.S. Bureau of the Census data on Election 2016. It shows that women voted in greater numbers and higher proportions than men in 2016, consistent with patterns evident in all presidential elections since 1980. The fact sheet also reports on gender differences in voting by race/ethnicity and age, including comparable data for recent election years. Hint: In most, but not all, categories, women outvote men. Get the details here.

Black Women in Elective Office


Four Black women are among the mayors of the 100 most populous U.S. cities.

"Black Women in American Politics: 2017 Status Update" has just been released by Higher Heights Leadership Fund and CAWP. The update summarizes how Black women fared in the 2016 elections and highlights key wins across the country. It also reports the latest numbers of Black women at various levels of office and identifies areas where Black women are underrepresented. The report was written by CAWP scholar Kelly Dittmar, who also co-authored (with Higher Heights managing director Glynda Carr) an op-ed on the NBC News website, "Electing More Black Women Requires Rejecting a Single Story of Women's Political Progress."

Fashion Statement

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Another Woman in the Trump Cabinet - for Now

The Washington Post reports that Elaine Duke is serving as acting secretary of homeland security as of Monday 7/31, replacing John Kelly, who became White House chief of staff. Duke, who was deputy secretary, has served in high-level posts in three presidential administrations - G.W. Bush, Obama, and now Trump. You can learn more about women in presidential cabinets on CAWP's fact sheet.

Health Care Reform and Women Lawmakers

A number of reports on the Senate's votes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act focused on the roles of women in the Senate. See, for example, Time , HuffPost , The Washington Post , The New York Times, Daily Kos , Los Angeles Times , and Vox .

Look Who's Running!

Women candidates were in the news. New Jersey has a GOP woman, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, running for governor and a Democratic woman, former Speaker Sheila Oliver, running for lieutenant governor, according to NJ Spotlight. In NYC, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis is raising big money in her bid to become the mayor, per the Daily News . Vogue tells the story of Laura Moser, who has gone from journalism to running for a Texas congressional seat. Deedra Aboud, a Muslim American, is facing hostility as she challenges Senator Jeff Flake in Arizona, according to The Washington Post . And Elle introduces us to Mai Khanh Tran, immigrant from Vietnam, pediatrician and first-time candidate, who is challenging a 12-term member of Congress. Get more details about who's running where on our Election Watch page.

More Power for Women of Color

Increasing the number and impact of women of color, and particularly Black women, in public office has been on the minds of many, as reported by Essence , The Post and Courier (SC), and St. Louis Public Radio . There's plenty of room for progress, as indicated in "Black Women in American Politics: 2017 Status Update," the new report from Higher Heights Leadership Fund and CAWP.

Elected Women Speaking Out

Prominent elected women were making their voices heard, including the mayors of Baltimore, Charlotte and Salt Lake City in Politico , Mississippi State Treasurer Lynn Fitch in The Clarion-Ledger , Congresswoman Maxine Waters in The New York Times Magazine , and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney in the Ms. blog.

Asking Big Questions

Quartz asks, "Why are women leaders bolder than men?" The Washington Post asks, "When is defining a woman by her gender sexist? And when can you clearly say that something bad is happening to you because you're a woman (or man)?" And The Boston Globe asks, "25 years after 'The Year of the Woman," what's changed?"

Center for American Women and Politics

Eagleton Institute of Politics

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

191 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8557

(848) 932-9384 - Fax: (732) 932-6778

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