Forecasting Women’s Electoral Victories: 2026 US Senate Pre-Release Model Notes

30 October 2026, Version 1
This content is an early or alternative research output and has not been peer-reviewed at the time of posting.

Abstract

Forecasting models frequently focus on election outcomes – which parties or candidates will win, with a heavy focus on partisan outcomes. Indeed, there has been robust election forecasting for the 2026 election (Kenny and Leiter 2026). But there are many different impactful political outcomes which shape legislative behavior, and the gender of legislators is one of them. Is there a way to predict the number of women we expect to win election before the elections occur? Using a new model, UMKC students predict 10 women will be elected to the US Senate in 2026.

Keywords

forecasting
Senate elections
women and politics
2026 US elections

Supplementary materials

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Description
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Women in 2026 Senate Data
Description
Data compiled from CAWP Candidate File, Cooks Reports, Real Clear Polling, and the Federal Election Commission
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