Today's elections will offer a glimpse into the future of American democracy — not just in who wins, but in how the systems that shape our elections determine who gets to lead. From the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey to mayoral contests in cities across America, these elections reflect a nation still grappling with the unfinished business of representation.
While gubernatorial races often capture national headlines, the story of women’s political power is just as frequently written at the local level in cities where the next generation of leadership and innovation in democracy takes shape.
RepresentWomen is closely following local elections across the country this week, drawing on Bolt Magazine’s excellent guide to 2025 races and ongoing coverage from Ballotpedia. Together, these elections show how women, reformers, and voters are redefining the rules of engagement in local politics — and how systems design continues to shape who leads.
Virginia: Breaking Barriers at Every Level
In Virginia, either Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears or Democratic former Representative Abigail Spanberger will make history as the state’s first woman governor, and in Earle-Sears’s case, potentially the nation’s first Black woman to hold that office.
Meanwhile, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, who is running for lieutenant governor, could make history as the first Asian American and Muslim to hold statewide executive office in Virginia, and the first Democratic woman to serve as lieutenant governor.
Yet the story of women’s political progress in Virginia extends far beyond the top of the ticket. The 2025 elections will also decide the control of the House of Delegates — the only legislative chamber on the ballot this year — where women are poised to win more seats than ever before.
Women currently hold 34 of 100 seats in the House of Delegates — 27 Democrats and seven Republicans — but this year, a record-breaking 75 women are running on the ballot as major-party nominees. That figure represents 40.8 percent of all candidates running for the chamber, including 56 of 99 Democrats and 19 of 85 Republicans. This surpasses the previous record of 72 women nominees set in 2001. Of those 75 candidates, 34 are incumbents, 37 are challengers, and four are running for open seats. If even a handful of these new contenders win, Virginia will surpass its all-time record of 35 women elected to the chamber, also set in 2021.
According to RepresentWomen’s Gender Parity Index, this milestone could raise Virginia’s parity score by nearly ten points, moving the state from a “D” to a “C.” Change at the top reverberates throughout the system, influencing appointments, pipelines, and future candidacies.
New Jersey: Women Advancing on Every Front
In New Jersey, Representative Mickie Sherrill could become the state’s first Democratic woman governor and the nation’s first woman military veteran governor — a distinction she could share with Earle-Sears should she win. Her candidacy represents not only a historic milestone for New Jersey but a broader breakthrough for women with military backgrounds in American politics.
At the legislative level, women currently hold 31 of 80 seats in New Jersey’s General Assembly — 25 and six Republicans. This year, 55 women are major-party nominees — 34 Democrats and 21 Republicans — accounting for 35.5 percent of all candidates. While not a record high, these races could sustain and strengthen the state’s steady progress toward parity. Today, a record 40 women serve in the New Jersey Legislature, and the state ranks 27th nationally for women’s representation in legislatures, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
A win by Sherrill could also lift New Jersey’s Gender Parity Index score for the first time in decades, moving the state closer to parity and breaking the “D” grade it has held since 2003. Together, these gains would signal meaningful progress in women’s executive and legislative representation, demonstrating how structural change and sustained pipelines work in tandem.
Women Leading the Way in Cities Across the US
In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu is running uncontested for a second term after dominating her nonpartisan primary. Her re-election underscores a powerful truth: when systems evolve to sustain women’s leadership, the “first” of one era can become the fixtures of the next.
In Detroit, City Council President Mary Sheffield is poised to become the city’s first-ever woman mayor, a milestone decades in the making for a city long defined by powerful organizers and community leaders.
And in Seattle, progressive leader Katie Wilson is in a tight race with incumbent Bruce Harrell after leading in the nonpartisan primary. This contest could reshape one of the country’s most dynamic political landscapes.
Ranked Choice Voting: A Reform That’s Reshaping Power
At the local level, elections in 14 cities and counties will use ranked choice voting (RCV) to elect their leaders — including Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Fort Collins, which is using RCV for the first time. The data is clear: RCV reduces vote splitting, rewards coalition building, and helps women and candidates of color compete on an equal footing. Cities using RCV have consistently seen more diverse candidate fields, more civil campaigns, and a higher percentage of women winning seats.
Source: FairVote
In New York City, the combination of RCV, term limits, and public financing has redefined representation: the 51-seat City Council now holds a supermajority of women (31), up from just 13 before the city’s first RCV election. Five women are currently vying for the powerful Speaker role, showcasing that structural reforms don’t just change outcomes; they shift entire power dynamics.
This year, open-seat mayoral elections in Santa Fe and Fort Collins will test how RCV continues to shape competition and collaboration in local races. In Minnesota, both Minneapolis and St. Paul will once again use RCV in their city elections, continuing a track record as national leaders in inclusive election design.
And in Greenbelt, Maryland, voters are considering an advisory measure to adopt RCV — a reform effort led by one of RepresentWomen’s own board members, Michelle Whittaker, who eloquently made the case for change last week. Greenbelt’s initiative builds on a remarkable track record: RCV has won 30 of the previous 31 times it’s appeared on municipal ballots nationwide, including a 73% victory in Washington, D.C., last year. As cities across the country adopt fairer and more inclusive systems, Maryland’s leadership represents both local innovation and national momentum.
Women Shaping Local Power
In Miami, County Commissioner Eileen Higgins is in a contested race for mayor, while in Jersey City, City Council President Joyce Waterman is among seven candidates running to become the city’s first Black woman mayor. In Lansing, Michigan, Kelsea Hector is challenging the incumbent mayor with a message that resonates well beyond her city: “It’s about time Lansing had a woman in leadership.”
In Mesa, Arizona, a recall election led by Turning Point Action is targeting City Councilor Julie Spilsbury, serving as a stark reminder that women in public office continue to face gendered political attacks, and that representation and reform remain inextricably linked.
Designing Democracy for Inclusion
Across these cities, the story is the same: representation is not accidental; it’s structural. When we reform the systems that shape participation, women’s leadership follows.
That’s why RepresentWomen continues to advance evidence-based reforms — such as ranked choice voting, proportional representation, and modernized legislative practices — that make it possible for more women to run, win, serve, and lead.
Every election tells a story about power: who holds it, who’s excluded from it, and how it changes hands. This week's question is whether our democracy is ready to evolve toward parity — a system designed for inclusion, not exclusion.
Parity doesn’t happen by chance. It happens by design.