Women make up 35.5% of all candidates for state legislative office this cycle. They currently hold about one-third of state legislative seats nationwide, a record share that remains well short of equal representation.

Debbie Walsh, the Rutgers center’s director, said progress has generally come gradually rather than in sudden leaps. Of the women nominated this year, 68% are Democrats. About 64% of women currently serving in state legislatures are Democrats.

“If the goal is for there to be gender equity in these legislatures, it’s not going to happen by only electing Democratic women,” Walsh said, adding that Republican recruitment also needs to improve.

Researchers and political organizers point to several barriers that can discourage women from running, including lower recruitment and encouragement, caregiving responsibilities and doubts about their own qualifications. Most state legislatures are part-time, which can add to the demands on candidates who also work and care for family members.

The election-year environment may also be shaping who runs. Midterm contests often favor the party out of the White House, and affordability has become a central issue. Republican pollster Amanda Iovino said women candidates may be especially accustomed to discussing household costs, including groceries and family budgets.

In Texas, Democrat Stefanie Bord, a former teacher seeking a state House seat in a conservative Houston-area district, said women often see the effects of policy in everyday family life. Bord, who became politically active through the gun-control group Moms Demand Action, also cited the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the federal constitutional right to abortion as a reason more women are interested in office. She faces former Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, who has support from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Georgia has a record 127 women running for legislative seats this year, according to Melita Easters, executive director of Georgia WIN List, a political action committee that backs pro-choice women candidates. The group has endorsed 76. Easters said even a long-shot campaign can give voters a choice in districts that have gone uncontested for years.

The increase in candidacies comes as women’s representation continues to vary widely by state. Women hold more than half of legislative seats in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, while they hold fewer than 15% in West Virginia, South Carolina and Mississippi. Nevada has maintained a female majority in its legislature since first reaching one in 2018.

Republican organizations have also worked to recruit women. The Republican State Leadership Committee’s Right Leaders Network included 67 women running for state legislative seats in 12 states this year. Iovino said a difficult political climate for Republicans may have constrained recruitment efforts, but she expects party groups to invest again in future cycles.

The national record for women candidates follows a broader rise in women’s state-level representation: women now hold nearly 40% more legislative seats than they did a decade ago, according to government relations firm MultiState. Candidates and advocates say sustained support, rather than one-time surges in political engagement, will determine whether that progress continues.