Holli Holiday

The Political Landscape of Black Women Running in 2024 - Mid Year Report 

Holli Holliday

President, Sisters Lead Sisters Vote

 

Looking Back - A Bit

In 2018, Democrats won a historic 41 seats in the House of Representatives to take back control; Democrats lost two seats in the Senate and captured seven seats for governor. This was also an historic year for Black women in politics, as we saw Black women running for top positions, including Governor, US Senate, and US Congress. The big win for Black women was Congress, where 20 Black women were elected to serve in the US House, including five new congressional members - Rep. Lauren Underwood, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Johanna Hayes, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Rep. Lucy McBath. In the same election year, more than 468 Black women ran for office, including more than 17 running for statewide office and 40 running for congressional seats. It is also true that while we saw some success, we also experienced heart-wrenching losses like Stacey Abrams' race for Governor in GA. 

It is with this backdrop that African American women, including the members of Sisters Lead Sisters Voice board of directors, begin to ideate on what it would take to:

• Elect Black women in every state 

• Elect a Black woman governor

• Confirm a Black woman to the Supreme Court

• Elect a Black woman President.

The audacity of these ideas was fueled by three key facts: One, 2018 marked the 4th consecutive cycle where Black women’s vote turnout outperformed the electorate share, solidifying their position as one of the most reliable voting blocks, particularly for Democrats. Two, in 2018 hundreds of Black women ran for political office despite our voting power, limited funding, and limited institutional support. Sadly, most lost. Three, racist and sexist-fueled mis/dis information was the basis of most attacks on Black women’s leadership and campaigns with NO effective playbook on how to respond. 

Since 2018, Sisters Lead Sisters Vote (SLSV) has worked to continue the work that Luvvie Ajayi Jones started through crowdsourcing and researching all the Black women running for office. Here is what we know as of June 11, 2024.

 

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Our work tracks the position that each candidate is running for, their incumbent status, their campaign social media accounts, personal contact information, their current and previous elected office experience. This work is extremely valuable because it allows us to identify the following: 

• the number of Black women running for office this election cycle;

• how that number compares to previous election cycles; 

• the number of Black women running for federal, state, and local offices;

• the success rates of Black women winning statewide primary races and local races that do not follow the national election calendar. 

Data are collected from responses sent in by Black women running, social media posts made by the candidates, and through other Black women networks. Through extensive research and the recorded data, 818 Black women have been identified as running for elected office during the 2024 election cycle. Below I will outline how that 818 number is accounted for across state and federal races.

 

Understanding the Landscape: Midterm Report

At this midway point, we can already point out some key observations that help us to understand the 2024 election landscape for Black women. 

 

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• Black women are candidates in 48 States in 2024, which is up from 44 states in 2022.

• Most of the candidates tracked are NOT incumbents. Out of the 818, the number of incumbents running for re-election is 283. Of the 283 candidates running for re-election, 94 lack a campaign social media presence. 

• Georgia stands out as the state with the most Black women running for office with 196 Black women candidates. 

• 75 Black women who have run for statewide positions have been identified, a small increase over the 66 Black women who ran for statewide positions in 2022. 

• Of the 603 Black women who have had their primary and general elections, 440 won their primary/general election. (66.4 percent success rate). 

 

Federal Races

From the 818 Black women we have identified as running for elected office, 92 have announced their candidacy for a seat in the US Congress. That number includes 12 running for the Senate, 79 running for the House of Representatives.  Breaking that 92 number down: 31 have advanced from their primary, 26 lost their primary, two were removed from the ballot, and 32 are currently waiting for their primary day. 

In the US Senate races, we identified a total of 12 Black women who have announced their candidacy. Only three candidates have received national attention from the party and media: Barbara Lee of California, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland. Alsobrooks has advanced to the general election, and Lee lost her primary. Rochester’s primary is not until September. Even though the other nine candidates have received miniscule attention from the party and media, Valerie McCray (D) is running in Indiana and has advanced to the general election. Scottie Griffin (D) lost in the Maryland primary. 

 

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In terms of US House races, SLSV has identified 79 Black women who have announced their candidacy for the US House of Representatives. Currently, 29 Black women have advanced from their primary, 23 have lost their primary, and two were removed from the ballot. We are currently awaiting the results of 25 other Black women’s House races. 

 

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State Races

SLSV identified three Black women running for Attorney General positions. Satana Deberry (D) - NC, Keir Bradford-Grey (D) - PA, and Shaina Maxey Pomerantz (D) - OR. While all were viable and competitive candidates, each lost amid attacks based on race and gender stereotypes, both overt and covert. Ms. Dewberry notes in her Facebook Live commentary on electability “They go with somebody who doesn't…even come close to having the experience that you have and the abilities that you have because of some kind of, group think amorphous idea that the only people qualified to do anything are men or white men” (Dewberry, 2024). 

In gubernatorial races, five Black women announced their candidacies, only two are still in the running: Esther Charlestin (D) - VT and EL'ona Kearney (D) - WA. Cherelle Booker (D) - NC and Jamie Reitenour (R) - IN lost their primary elections and Ambra Mason [Constitution Party] – WA will not be on the ballot in November (Ballotpedia, 2024). 

 

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To date, we have identified 332 Black women running for a seat in their respective states’ state legislature--213 have advanced from their respective primaries. Thirty-one  Black women are still in the running for their primaries, 88 have either lost their primary election or have been disqualified. 

In mayoral races, 13 Black women have been identified as running for mayor with one woman winning her mayoral race so far: Renee Baskerville - Montclair, NJ. Of the remaining candidates, 6 Black women have lost their mayoral race. Two candidates, Vivian Flowers of Pine Bluff, CA and Flo Cofer of Sacramento, CA have advanced from their primary run-off election to the general election. Flowers beat Shirley Washington, the incumbent, who is also a Black woman, in the primary.

Black women are running for elected office in large numbers. Many are winning despite the rampant attacks that they face. Now is the time for us to invest in Black women-led organizations who are doing the work to support Black women candidates. Your investment will continue the SLSV work on our playbook to prepare both current and future candidates to inoculate themselves and help candidates defend against these attacks. Whether it is struggles with public visibility, having your qualifications and ability to carry out a role be questioned to an antagonistic degree, or America’s inability to redefine or eliminate its status quo, Black women face the unfortunate battle of advocating for one’s value and place in society.

 

Final Analysis

In summary, data results are painting a positive picture for Black women running for office during the 2024 election cycle and beyond. In 2024 alone, based on the number of Black women who have already experienced a primary or general election, Black women are winning their elections or advancing to the general election at nearly a 75 percent rate. Of the 283 incumbents, 199 Black incumbents have won their primary election and 38 Black incumbents have won their general election. The incumbent success rate so far is 83.3 percent. The success of Black women this election cycle cannot be overlooked or understated. As we come to the primary election in states that have a higher percentage of Black voters, the overall success rate for Black women running, and the number of incumbents advancing to the general election should only increase. 

While this is wonderful news, as well as an increase in win percentages over 2022, too many Black women will face limited party support from party or institutional supporters and big donors. This results in a viable and electable candidate facing additional and unwanted barriers. And if that is not bad enough, they may face the “super tax” of mis- and disinformation, which generally plays to harmful race or gender-based stereotypes. 

 

References

 

(2008) Ballotpedia. United States. [Web Archive] Retrieved from https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page.

 

Dewberry, S. (2024, January). More on #Electability [Facebook Live]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/satana.deberry/