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# More than 100 Democratic women won House seats, a first. Women's total in Congress still falls.
- URL: https://www.workersrights.news/democratic-women-100-house-seats-women-congress-total-falls/
- Published: 2026-11-04T23:19:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T23:19:24.000Z
- Description: Republican women's losses mean about 139 women are projected to serve in January, down from 152 today.
- Author: WorkersRights.News Team
- Tags: Politics

For the first time, more than 100 Democratic women will serve in the U.S. House at once. The Democratic Women's Caucus announced the milestone Wednesday, a day after a Democratic wave won the party [control of the House](https://www.workersrights.news/democrats-win-house-working-people-check-on-trump/) and [the Senate](https://www.workersrights.news/democrats-win-senate-full-control-congress-garcia-lawyer-up/).

The record comes with a catch. Because Republican women lost several seats, the total number of women in Congress is projected to shrink. Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) projects 139 women will serve in the 120th Congress starting in January, down from 152 today, ABC News reported. Dozens of races were still uncalled Wednesday, so those numbers will move.

## Women did much of the flipping

Before the election, 97 Democratic women served in the House, according to the House Clerk, as cited by CBS News. Women candidates carried a large share of the gains. Of the 31 seats Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats had flipped as of 2 a.m. Wednesday, women won 15, The 19th reported.

CBS News projected wins for Christina Bohannan over Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa's 1st District, Sarah Trone Garriott over Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa's 3rd, Rebecca Cooke over Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd, Rebecca Bennett over Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th, and Janelle Stelson over Rep. Scott Perry in Pennsylvania's 10th. Denise Powell won Nebraska's 2nd District, the seat held by Republican Rep. Don Bacon. CAWP says she will be the first Latina to represent Nebraska in Congress.

"The millions of women who showed up at the polls voted for a better future for all women and girls," Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, said in a statement.

## A long list of firsts

Melat Kiros, 29, won Colorado's 1st District. She will be the first Black woman elected to Congress from Colorado and the first Gen Z woman in Congress. Georgia's Jasmine Clark will be the first Black woman with a Ph.D. in science to serve in Congress, and New York's Darializa Avila Chevalier the first woman of Dominican descent, according to The 19th.

The Senate is changing too. Peggy Flanagan's projected win in Minnesota makes her the first Native American woman to serve in the Senate. Juliana Stratton's projected win in Illinois means three Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time. Annie Andrews is projected to become South Carolina's first elected woman senator, ABC News reported.

Governors' mansions saw a record as well. Voters in 17 states elected a woman governor on Tuesday, the most ever, according to CAWP. That group includes [Deb Haaland in New Mexico](https://www.workersrights.news/deb-haaland-wins-new-mexico-governor-first-native-american-woman/) and [Gina Hinojosa in Texas](https://www.workersrights.news/gina-hinojosa-defeats-greg-abbott-first-democratic-texas-governor-since-1995/).

## Why the total is still going down

Republican women took heavy losses. CBS News projected defeats for five Republican congresswomen: Reps. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, Ann Wagner of Missouri, Jen Kiggans of Virginia and Monica De La Cruz of Texas.

The gap is still wide. Women are half the U.S. population but hold 28% of the seats in Congress, and only 445 women have ever served there, about 3.5% of everyone who has served in either chamber, The 19th reported.

## What comes next

The final count depends on the races still being tallied, and CAWP is updating its numbers as they are called. The new Congress is sworn in in January. Women in the new majority will have a say in how Congress responds to policies that hit working women directly, such as the Trump EEOC's plan to [trim protections for pregnant workers](https://www.workersrights.news/trump-eeoc-pregnant-workers-rule-rewrite-november/).

### Sources

- [Women make history in governor, congressional races in 2026 midterms](https://abcnews.com/GMA/News/women-make-history-governor-congressional-races-2026-midterms/story?id=137841842&ref=workersrights.news), ABC News (citing Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics)
- [2026 House midterm election results as Democrats capture majority with major wins](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/house-election-results-2026/?ref=workersrights.news), CBS News
- [Democrats hit a new milestone: 100 women in the House](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democrats-hit-milestone-100-women-075430496.html?ref=workersrights.news), The 19th (via Yahoo News)