Breaking Data on the Demographics of Political Power and “Electability”

Updating our data to mark our first decade, we found white men consistently losing power, and women of color persistently gaining.

Make no mistake: white men still dominate American politics. At 30 percent of the population, they hold 55 percent of elected offices at the state and federal levels. That may be why many pundits maintain that white male candidates are more “electable” than anyone else.

But since 2014, women and people of color have made remarkable gains at the ballot box. In fact, the only demographic that’s lost seats in the last ten years is white men. And the demographic that’s advanced the most is women of color.

In this historic election cycle, the Reflective Democracy Campaign will continue to offer analysis and insights to enhance public understanding of the demographics of power.