Record 159 Women Will Serve in the Next Congress After Midterm Blue Wave

A record 159 women will serve in the next Congress, the most in American history, after the Democrats’ midterm sweep. The new tally, from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University and CNN election projections, beats the current record of 152 set in 2024 and puts women at about 30 percent of the House and Senate combined when the 120th Congress convenes in January 2027.

Key Points

• At least 159 women will serve in the 120th Congress from January 2027, a new record, up from 152 today, according to the Center for American Women and Politics and CNN projections.
• The House sets its own record with at least 136 women, including at least 115 Democrats and 19 Republicans.
• The Senate moves the other way: the number of women there will fall, with Republican women declining in both chambers in what one strategist called a “crisis-level decline”.
• A record 17 women will serve as governors — 14 Democrats and three Republicans — up from the previous record of 14, including Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms, the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States.
• The freshman class brings new firsts: the first female Native American senator, Colorado’s first Black female representative, the first Hispanic representative from Nebraska, and at least 11 female veterans, the most in US history.

What Happened

The final tally, published Monday, November 9, 2026, confirms what early results only suggested. Just after the election, with dozens of races still uncalled, the count stood at 116 women in the House. As the remaining races were called, the total climbed past the old mark, landing at 159 women across both chambers, seven more than serve today.

The House accounts for most of the gain. At least 136 women will take seats in the chamber, beating the previous record of 127. Democrats supply the bulk of the increase, with at least 115 women headed to the House, against 19 Republicans. CNN notes its projections are not yet final and the number could still change, with the Mississippi and Alaska Senate races still uncalled.

Background/Context

Women’s representation in Congress has climbed steadily for a generation, but the leaps have come in waves. The modern surge began in 1992, the “Year of the Woman,” when a record number of women won seats in the wake of Anita Hill’s testimony at the Clarence Thomas hearings. Another jump came in 2018, when a record class of women entered the House. The 2024 election set the current mark of 152 women in Congress, which the 2026 midterms have now passed.

The 2026 result is also a product of the wider Democratic wave. Democrats won control of the House and the Senate on November 3, flipping seats across the country, and women won 18 of the 40 seats Democrats flipped in the House, according to The 19th. The gains were concentrated among Democrats: the party will send at least 115 women to the House, while the Republican total fell.

Record Women in Congress — But Still Far From Parity

Even at a record, women will hold only 29.7 percent of the seats in the 120th Congress, still about 100 seats short of gender parity. Women make up just over half the US population, so a Congress that mirrored the country would need roughly 268 women. The new record closes the gap by seven seats, but the distance remains wide.

The Senate is the weak spot. While the House sets a record, the number of women in the Senate will fall, leaving 23 women in the chamber, two fewer than today. Republican women are declining in both chambers, a trend one strategist described as a “crisis-level decline” for the party. The contrast is stark: a record Congress overall, built almost entirely on Democratic gains in the House.

Reactions/Quotes

Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics, said the difference women make is practical, not symbolic. “Women get there and they’re in the room when conversations are being had about healthcare, and they say, ‘Hey, maybe we should do some tests on women,’” Dittmar told CNN.

Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico, a Democrat, put it more simply: “Women made history because we showed up to vote.” Her party’s women drove the record: of the 136 women headed to the House, at least 115 are Democrats.

Why It Matters

Representation shapes what Congress debates and what it passes. Research from the Center for American Women and Politics has long shown that women lawmakers prioritise healthcare, childcare and family policy more than their male colleagues, and Dittmar’s point about clinical trials is a reminder that who sits in the room changes which questions get asked.

The governors’ record matters too. Seventeen women will lead states from January, and governors are the pipeline for the Senate and the presidency: several of the women who just won — including Bottoms in Georgia — now sit on the shortlist for national office. That record bench is tomorrow’s pool of national candidates.

What Happens Next

The 120th Congress convenes in January 2027, and the final count may still move by a seat or two. The Mississippi and Alaska Senate races remain uncalled, and CNN has said the number of women could change as those results come in. Committee assignments and leadership elections will show how much of the new majority’s agenda the record class can shape.

The 17 women governors take office in January too, and their first budgets will be watched closely. The longer question is the Senate: whether the decline in women senators reverses in 2028, when a new class of seats comes up, or whether the House record stands alone as the story of this cycle.

FAQ

How many women will serve in the next Congress? At least 159 women will serve in the 120th Congress from January 2027, a new record, per the Center for American Women and Politics and CNN projections. The current record is 152, set in 2024.

How many women will be in the House? At least 136 women will serve in the House, a new record beating the previous high of 127 — at least 115 Democrats and 19 Republicans.

Will there be more women in the Senate? No. The number of women in the Senate will fall to 23, two fewer than today, with Republican women declining in both chambers.

How many women will serve as governors? A record 17 women will serve as governors — 14 Democrats and three Republicans — up from the previous record of 14. They include Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms, the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States.

Could the record number still change? Yes. CNN notes its projections are not final, and the Mississippi and Alaska Senate races were still uncalled when the tally was published, so the final number could move slightly.

Related coverage: Democratic women win a record 100 House seats in the midterms, and a record 17 women will govern states; Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history as first Black woman elected US governor; Democrats on course for first majority of governorships in two decades after midterm sweep.