In advance of the November 3, 2020 election, we discovered a remarkable shift in the race and gender demographics of general election candidates from 2012 to 2020.
- Across the electoral landscape, political power is shifting away from white men, and towards women and people of color.
- At a pace that dramatically accelerated after 2016, women and people of color are surmounting structural barriers to win primary elections for Congress and state legislature across the country.
Contrary to conventional wisdom about white men’s superior “electability,” women and people of color win elections at the same rate as their white male counterparts. In fact, across all levels of government, white men are the only demographic whose political power is on the wane. Voters are rejecting the old boys’ club model of politics, and the November 3rd election broke new records in victories by leaders who reflect all Americans.
