Black women are a powerful electorate with the proven ability to decide elections. But our political capital has yet to translate into a representative number of Black women holding office or robust, long-term policies that effectively address our concerns. The following data offer insight into our current political landscape, successes and challenges, providing information that can help us create strategies that move us toward leadership parity and effective policies.

Black women are a voting powerhouse

• 16 million Black women are eligible to vote, and 67% are registered.
• Black women made up 17% of voters who cast ballots in the 2017  U.S. Senate special election in Alabama, but they account for less than 14% of the state’s population.
• 94% of Black women voters supported Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election.
• 96% of Black women voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, providing the margin he needed to win two presidential terms.
• 90% of Black women voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020, securing the administration’s win.

Black women are increasingly running and winning

• First Black woman Vice President
• Black women—the most ever—are serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Black women are serving as mayors in 9 of the nation’s 100 most populous U.S. cities compared to just 1 in 2014.
• There are currently 31 Black women serving in Congress, 30 in the U.S. House of Representatives, and 1 in the U.S. Senate.

But, we still lack representation in important chambers of power

• Black women are 6.8% of the population, yet they account for just 4.1% of all members of the House and 0% of the Senate.
• Only 10 Black women currently hold a statewide office, and a total of 24 have ever held a statewide office.
• Although more Black women are serving in state legislatures, we hold just 373 of the country’s 7,383 state legislative seats. 
• There is currently 1 Black woman in the U.S. Senate.
• No Black woman has ever served as governor in our country’s 243-year history.