Making #HerStory in 2018

June 11, 2018

After #SuperTuesday Primaries, Women Candidates on Path to Make History in Multiple States

Eight states held primaries last Tuesday, June 5th. In an analysis of the results, Gender Watch 2018 project director Kelly Dittmar points to the multiple ways in which women nominees are poised to make history in November 2018.

In case you missed it, Gender Watch 2018 also broke down the election results for women candidates in primaries held on May 15th and May 22nd. For even more insights into results in Pennsylvania, see Jennie Sweet-Cushman's analysis for Gender Watch 2018 and Kelly Dittmar's commentary for CNN.

Next Up:

On Tuesday, June 12th, primary elections will be held in 5 more states. Before then, be sure to read (and share!) Gender Watch 2018's primary outlooks on women candidates running in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Virginia.

New Research: What #MeToo Means for Women Candidates

The Barbara Lee Family Foundation released new research on what the #MeToo movement means for women candidates. See the full report, as well as Amanda Hunter's analysis of the findings for Gender Watch 2018.

Expert Analysis

Support for Women Candidates has been a Long Time Coming

A recent poll from NBC/Wall Street Journal revealed high levels of support, albeit with stark partisan differences, in the support for women's political representation. Dr. Kathleen Dolan writes that these findings are not new, pointing to academic research that has been documenting this trend in voter support for women candidates. Read her analysis here .

Making Sense of the "Alabama Awakening:" What's New and Not so New for Black Women in American Politics

Drawing from her own research on Black women and electoral politics, Gender Watch expert contributor Wendy Smooth puts the political engagement and influence of Black women in Alabama in historical and scholarly context. Read more here.

LGBTQ Politics in Election 2018

Gender Watch 2018 research assistant and contributor Rick Kavin makes a strong case for why LGBTQ and allied candidates matter, even when they lose. In another post, he puts a spotlight on how LGBTQ politics were at play in the Alabama governor's race, drawing upon scholarship to make sense of potential implications of "outing" candidates.

Running as Women or Men? Candidates' Use of Gender in 2018

Gender Watch 2018 project director Kelly Dittmar reminds us to include men in our analyses of gender dynamics in election 2018. Using examples of campaign images and messages from candidate advertisements, Dittmar demonstrates the diversity in candidates' gender strategies. Read more here .

First Time Candidates in Arkansas Reflect Long Time Themes on Gender and Candidacy

Gender Watch 2018 expert contributor Pearl Dowe profiles women candidates for the Arkansas state legislature, demonstrating the ways in which their paths to candidacy reflect long-time themes found in gender and politics research. Read more here.