Women’s overall influence in American politics is on the rise.
Speaking strictly in numbers, an ever-increasing amount of women are running for office at local, state and federal levels. And more of them are currently holding positions, too. As of this year, women make up 28% of Congress, and just over 30% of state executive and legislative offices, according to the Center for American Women in Politics. Women additionally continue to be the leaders of political movements.
But beyond the wins in representation, it’s worth examining how these women utilize their power. Below, we’ve listed 15 other women – from several gubernatorial hopefuls to a number of opinionated figureheads and already-elected leaders – who are poised to make waves in the U.S. political landscape this year.
In one direction or another.
AG Pam Bondi. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Pam Bondi
The current U.S. Attorney General, named to the role last year, has been using her post in 2026 to pressure officials in Minnesota – where the public continues to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers’ increasingly hostile and deadly presence – into turning over voter rolls. The former attorney (who represented President Donald Trump during his 2020 impeachment proceedings) and past Florida A.G. has also taken to posting names and images of protesters in Minneapolis, when not calling for the arrest of journalists.
HSS Kristi Noem. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Kristi Noem
As Homeland Security Secretary, Noem had been tasked with overseeing ICE activity directly – and used her position to defend the actions of its agents, at times even negating videos that have shown ICE agents harming and killing civilians in her accounts. Her handling of the situation was much critiqued – and even resulted in a campaign calling for her impeachment among other elected officials, including a number of Republican lawmakers. Earlier this month, Noem was, indeed, fired from her post by the Trump administration, but was also given a new security-related position with the title “Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.”
Rep. Ruwa Romman. (Credit: Ruwa Romman)
Ruwa Romman
Romman has been a state representative in Georgia for years – and now, she wants to be its next governor, jumping into a race that will end on Election Day this year. Like Minnesota, the Peach State has been under its own pressure from the federal government around its election data, with the Federal Bureau of Investigations bursting its way into a state election center to secure 2020 records. “They wouldn’t be acting like this if they didn’t realize they’re gonna lose this year,” she said on X of the raid. “They’re gonna try to cheat, but we’re gonna win again.”
Rep. Gina Hinojosa. (Credit: Hinojosa's Instagram account)
Gina Hinojosa
State Rep. Hinojosa, a Democrat, is vying to become the next governor of Texas, a traditionally-Republican border state. There is cause for speculation about a slowly turning tide in the Lone Star State, in light of a recent win for a Democratic state senate candidate in a solidly “red” district. But beyond leftward shifts in local politics, Hinojosa also brings years of Texas politics experience to the table. The gubernatorial election will take place later this year, following a crowded primary between 9 other candidates so far – if she wins in November, she’d be the first Democrat (and woman) to hold the seat since the 1990s.
Rep. Ilhan Omar. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Ilhan Omar
The Somali-American Democrat representative for Minnesota has been under attack – both metaphorically, and literally. In the middle of a recent town hall address, a man approached her, then sprayed her with an unidentified substance – an escalation of animosity against her that has been sparked by Trump himself, she says. Indeed, Trump has also suggested that the Department of Justice is actively investigating her finances, implying foul play on Omar’s part.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Amy Klobuchar
The Minnesota Senator is now looking to become her currently embattled state’s next governor, following Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement that he won’t be seeking re-election. Klobuchar, now in her fourth Senate term, became a national figure when she ran for president in 2020. In her years of public service, the former lawyer has passed well over 100 pieces of legislation, including measures that address supply-chain problems and promote small businesses and addiction recovery efforts.
Deb Haaland. (Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr)
Deb Haaland
In New Mexico, a gubernatorial election is also coming this year – and the former congresswoman and Secretary of the Interior has put her name in the ring. (Current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has reached her term limit.) Haaland has been especially vocal about her state’s healthcare crisis, but has also spoken out about ICE presence in her own communities. “If Donald Trump and ICE want to mess with New Mexico, they will have to get through my administration and me,” she said. “We will have zero tolerance for their injustice.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Marjorie Taylor Greene
The former Georgia representative resigned from her post late last year, citing disagreements with Trump and her Republican colleagues on matters ranging from the case files in deceased financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s past trial, to American military involvement in Palestine and Venezuela. Her outspokenness in disagreement with the Trump administration resulted in death threats, she says, which led to her departure – and she continues to be vocal on the matter, stating in a recent interview that Trump’s messaging “was all a lie.”
Gov. Abigail Spanberger. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Abigail Spanberger
Former U.S. Rep. Spanberger won the governorship of Virginia last fall, taking on the role after three terms served in the U.S. House. Her first act, mere hours after her inauguration, set a tone: She issued an executive order to end the relationship between Virginia state police and ICE. “In Virginia, our hard-working, law-abiding immigrant neighbors will know that when we say that we will focus on the security and safety of all of our neighbors, we mean them too,” she told reporters – and constituents – of the move.
Erika Kirk. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Erika Kirk
She’s the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last September. Since his death, Erika Kirk has become the CEO of Turning Point USA, the large, well-funded and far-reaching conservative youth organization her husband founded. With her suddenly elevated platform, the former pageant participant and real estate agent has largely taken up her husband’s mantle, making statements on culture-war topics such as Latino artist Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime performance, through an increasingly busy roster of public-speaking engagements.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill. (Credit: World Economic Forum, Flickr)
Mikie Sherrill
Rep. Sherrill, a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, as well as a pro-abortion advocate, is only the second woman to ever hold the office of governor in New Jersey (the first was Republican Christine Todd Whitman) – and the first woman Democrat to win it. In her early days in the office, she announced plans to create a database logging in-state ICE activity, and to freeze rate hikes for utilities in New Jersey households.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett. (Credit: Official U.S. Congress website)
Jasmine Crockett
The Democratic representative from Texas has demonstrated an outspokenness against the Trump administration and the Republican party in the vein of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other younger women elected officials, often using her platform to address matters such as the recent civilian murders by ICE agents. But she’s also introduced numerous bills since taking office in 2023, including measures to ease loan requirements for farmers and restrict the use of taxpayer funds for a given president’s personal legal expenses. Though she recently lost a primary for a key Senate seat in Texas, Crockett plans to remain a prominent, progressive public servant.
Gov. Kathy Hochul. (Marc A. Hermann, MTA)
Kathy Hochul
The New York State governor, and the first woman to hold the post, is up for re-election this year – and so far, she’s been ramping up for the fight by rolling out progressive policies and talking points, from a new universal childcare program to being one of those calling for Noem’s impeachment. The longtime public servant has been governor since 2021, and in the time that’s passed since, she pushed for codifying abortion access, accelerating in-state clean energy programs, and more.
Mary Peltola. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Mary Peltola
Alaska is a traditionally red state – but Peltola is trying to flip a key Senate seat blue all the same. And polling shows she has a chance of doing so, which would be critical in turning the Senate back over to Democrats post-midterms. Prior to 2026, Peltola served as a Democratic congresswoman, the first woman and first Alaska Native ever to represent the state on a federal level. During her tenure, she focused on securing funding for in-state infrastructure repairs, and passing the Food Security for Veterans Act, among other policy measures.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Credit: nrkbeta, Flickr)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Ever since the surprise win of her current U.S. House seat in 2019, Ocasio-Cortez has been a person of interest in politics. She’s used that spotlight to be a vocal proponent of a progressive agenda, with emphasis on addressing economic inequalities and climate change, as well as the abolition of ICE, of late. Her charisma and outspokenness has made her a frequent name in discussions about successors to current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York – or, down the road, as a presidential candidate.
This post, originally published in February 2026, has been updated to reflect current events.