How Women Won It For Democrats On Election Day 2025

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 9:22 PM

how women won it for democrats on election day 2025

Women voters were key to the success of Governors-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) in the 2025 elections, according to an analysis of exit-poll data by the Center for American Women and... The gender gap in voting fueled decisive victories in both races. Full analysis about women voters in the 2025 elections can be found on the CAWP website. A gender gap in voting refers to a difference between the percentage of women and percentage of men voting for a specific candidate, generally the winning candidate in a given election. For example, if 55% of women and 45% of men support a candidate, the gender gap would be 10 points. “The support of women voters was decisive in these elections, and both Sherrill and Spanberger outperformed their male predecessors among women voters,” said CAWP Director Debbie Walsh.

“This year was another reminder of the power of women voters, who have consistently outvoted men for nearly a half century and proven to be a reliable base for Democrats. Candidates ignore them and their policy concerns at their peril.” Here are key takeaways about voting and gender in election 2025: Data from this analysis come from the SSRS exit poll, which can be adjusted following the election. This data is current as of November 7, 2025. Read our full analysis about women voters on the CAWP website.

The most recent round of state and local elections came with a number of heartening victories as several women candidates won big. Election Day 2025 will be one to remember. The news gripping the nation centers on New York City Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win of the Big Apple’s mayorship. But in other parts of the nation – namely New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan – progressive women candidates made history with their own triumphs. Here are four notable wins that gave us some much-needed renewed hope. Last night, State Sen.

Ghazala Hashmi became Virginia’s lieutenant governor-elect, which makes her the first Muslim woman in U.S. history to hold a statewide office. It’s not her first time making history, either – when she was elected to the state Senate in 2020, she became the first first Muslim and the first Asian-American person to hold such an... Prior to holding elected office, Hashmi was an educator. Steve Peoples, Associated Press Steve Peoples, Associated Press Will Weissert, Associated Press Will Weissert, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats dominated the first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. And while a debate about the future of the Democratic Party may have only just begun, there are signs that the economy — specifically, Trump's inability to deliver the economic turnaround he promised last... Democrats on Tuesday won governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, the only states electing new chief executives this year. They also swept a trio of state Supreme Court contests in swing-state Pennsylvania and ballots measures from Colorado to Maine. Women voters were the decisive force in the 2025 elections, driving sweeping Democratic victories across key states. Women turned out at higher rates than men and made up a majority of voters, and historic gender gaps reshaped the political landscape.

Despite these large gender gaps, both women still secured solid support from men: nearly half the men in each state. (One Democratic strategist called this solid vote share a “pleasant surprise” for the party.) Across both states, abortion rights and gender equality were central motivators for women voters: Sixty-one percent of Virginia voters said abortion should be legal, and 82 percent of those voters supported Spanberger. Voters’ views on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights also strongly correlated with support for Sherrill: Ninety-two percent of voters who said the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement had “gone too far,” and 94 percent of those... Together, the data reveal that support for women’s rights, reproductive freedom, gender equality and fair immigration policies powered a Democratic sweep this election season. A year after former Vice President Kamala Harris suffered an electoral beating by President Donald Trump, Democrats across the country – from Virginia to California – notched major victories in a sign of growing...

In Virginia, a state with thousands of federal workers affected by the government shutdown and Department of Government Efficiency cuts, Abigail Spanberger soundly defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome-Earle Sears, reports say. In New Jersey, which last year saw hoards of voters move toward Trump, projections say Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won against Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli. Next door, in New York City, voters chose progressive Zohran Mamdani and his affordability platform over the more centrist former Democratic New York Gov.

Andrew Cuomo. And in California, voters overwhelmingly supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting referendum allowing the state legislature to redo congressional maps and add up to five new Democratic-leaning seats ahead of the 2026 election. Trump kept his distance from the races this year, never having stepped on the campaign trail for any of his party’s contenders, though he still loomed on voter’s minds. Democrats' sweeping victories come as a troubling sign for the president and his party. Updated on: November 5, 2025 / 5:31 PM EST / CBS News

A day after Republicans faced losses in several states, President Trump said Wednesday he believes his party needs to talk more about affordability — including the successes he believes he's had with containing energy... "It's no good if we do a great job and you don't talk about it, and I don't think they talk about it enough," he told Fox News' Bret Baier. The president seemed more surprised by Republican Jack Ciattarelli's loss in the New Jersey governor's race than GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears' loss in Virginia. "I thought New Jersey would do a little bit better than that," Mr. Trump said. The economy, dissatisfaction with the country, helped Democrats win key seats.

Tuesday night was a far cry from the shell-shocked scenes in Democrats' election headquarters a year ago this November. In three key races, for Virginia governor, New Jersey governor and New York City mayor, the party's nominees drew in huge numbers of the electorate by attacking President Donald Trump and offering plans to... The Democratic wins come as Trump and Republicans have seen sinking approval ratings 10 months into his second term. Here are some of the key takeaways from Tuesday's election -- one year to the 2026 midterms: Takeaways from an eventful 2025 election cycle. By Caroline Soler, Christine Zhang and Alex Lemonides

Is there such a thing as an “off year” for U.S. elections? The elections in 2025 were not nearly as all-encompassing as last year’s presidential race, nor as chaotic as what is expected from next year’s midterms. But hundreds of elections were held in dozens of states, including local contests, mayoral races, special congressional elections and two highly anticipated governor’s races. Many of the elections were seen as early tests of how lasting President Trump’s 2024 gains might be and as a preview of what might happen in 2026. Here are five takeaways from the 2025 election cycle.

How Women Won It For Democrats On Election Day 2025

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats Dominated The First Major Election Day