If you’ve watched the news, looked at social media, or are up to date with the current political climate in the United States for the past week, you’ve heard of The Blue Tsunami that swept through the 2026 midterm elections last week. In other words, how Democrats flipped control of both the House and the Senate, picked up at least seven Senate seats and 30 House seats, and scored major victories in battleground states and districts across the country.
Women voters helped drive the Blue Tsunami, and while the midterms brought real feminist victories, they also showed where we still have work to do.
Feminist Wins in the 2026 midterms
- 17 states elected women governors, setting a new national record for women serving as governors
- Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected in Georgia, making her the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state
- Deb Haaland was elected in New Mexico, making her the first Native American woman elected governor
- Peggy Flanagan won her Minnesota Senate race, becoming the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate
- Annie Andrews won in South Carolina, becoming the first woman elected to represent the state in the U.S. Senate
- Virginia voters approved Question 1, a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive freedom (LFG VA!!)
- Nevada voters approved Question 6, strengthening constitutional protections for abortion access
- Missouri voters rejected Amendment 3, which would have repealed the state’s existing constitutional protections for reproductive freedom and imposed new abortion restrictions
Overall, these midterms brought significant feminist victories, from more women breaking into political leadership and greater representation of women of color and other marginalized groups to voters across several states choosing to protect women’s reproductive rights.
Feminist Losses and Areas to Improve
- Idaho voters rejected Proposition 1, which would have established legal protection for reproductive rights and freedom, leaving Idaho’s abortion ban in place
- Women will continue to be underrepresented in Congress, and will only represent approximately 30% of congressional seats in 2027
As you can see, the feminist losses this month were far fewer than the wins. This year we are celebrating major milestones, including the first Black woman governor and the first Native American woman governor. These are incredible achievements, and voters should be proud of the progress they helped make possible. At the same time, it’s extremely frustrating that women are still making these “firsts” over 100 years after gaining the right to vote. As RepresentWomen points out, despite record numbers of women running for office, women’s overall share of political representation has barely changed.
How Women Showed Up
Check out this interactive tool by the New York Times which allows you to explore midterm election results by state and office, with additional filters for race, gender, age, and education level. Take a look at what I found:
After selecting U.S. House results and filtering by women, the screenshot breaks down the voting results by race, including White, Black, Hispanic, and “Other” women. What stands out is that the Democratic margin shifted in Democrats’ favor across every group shown, ranging from a 6-point shift among Black women to a 29-point shift among Hispanic women in comparison to the 2024 election. These results reflect a growing shift in women’s political support, suggesting that women across racial groups are increasingly using their votes to demand change and make their voices heard.
I know this post is more informational than usual, but I hope you walk away from reading it feeling a a little more hopeful about the future of feminism and the next generation of young women growing up in the U.S. Personally, for the first time since 2024, it feels like a small weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Since last Tuesday, I’ve had a little more pep in my step, and it feels pretty damn good knowing that my vote played a part in creating change.
Celebrating progress doesn’t mean the work is over. We have to hold our elected officials accountable and make sure they follow through on the promises they made during their campaigns. When they don’t, we have to speak up, use our voices to advocate for those who can’t, and continue fighting for the future we want to see.
This election created momentum, but it’s up to us to keep it going!
COOL GIRLS CARE ABOUT POLITICS!!!!