Welcome to the Media Round Up! We’ve collected and shared our favorite gender + politics stories from this week.

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Op-Ed: Danielle Barrow and Meredith Allen Dellinger: Republican women are the smartest path to a GOP majority
Washington Reporter, Danielle Barrow and Meredith Allen Dellinger

In an increasingly hostile and volatile political climate, Danielle Barrow and Meredith Allen Dellinger contend that the Republican party needs to recruit and invest in conservative women to maintain a GOP majority. Since Republican women candidates have proven that they win more often, flip more seats, and “make better use” of campaign funds, the two assert that promoting these women will help their party in the long run. During the midterm elections, GOP women candidates can help win over independents and suburban moderates, as they have “stronger appeal” to these key voting blocs. At a time when nothing can be taken for granted, the data shows that “if you care about conservative policy, if you care about who holds the speaker’s gavel, you should care about recruiting and backing more Republican women.”

Voters Have Spoken In Two States

On Tuesday, a variety of elections took place across the United States, cementing new public officials in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court and a Georgia U.S. House seat. In Wisconsin, voters elected Chris Taylor to the Supreme Court, expanding the liberal majority from 4-3 to 5-2. With Taylor’s victory over conservative Maria Lazar, liberals are positioned to keep the majority until at least 2030, with liberals potentially gaining an additional seat next year in a race to succeed a retiring conservative justice. In the coming years, the court is poised to take up hot-button cases on abortion and union restrictions, as well as litigation with national implications for congressional redistricting and election disputes. Liberals have won five of the past six state Supreme Court races by margins of about 10 percentage points. In Georgia, district attorney general Clay Fuller (R-GA) won a special election to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) former U.S. House seat. Fuller defeated Shawn Harris (D-GA), a retired Army general who ran against Greene in 2024, however, unofficial returns show that Harris significantly reduced his margin of defeat, demonstrating voters dissatisfaction with Republican leadership.

Greene Raises 25th Amendment After New Trump Iran Post: ‘Evil and Madness’
The Hill, Sophie Brams

On Tuesday, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called for President Trump to be removed from office using the 25th Amendment following his latest threats to escalate the conflict in Iran. In a Truth Social post, Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran did not meet his 8 p.m. deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Greene, a former strong ally of Trump, called his rhetoric “evil and madness,” and encouraged elected officials to activate the 25th Amendment. Greene attacked Trump, stating that “Everyone in his administration that claims to be Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshiping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness.” Greene has been critical of the military operations in Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched initial strikes in late February, arguing that the decision amounted to a “betrayal” of Trump’s 2024 campaign promises.

Second woman who worked for Republican congressman comes forward to say he sent sexually explicit texts
The Independent, Rhian Lubin

A second woman who worked for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) has accused the lawmaker of bombarding her with “hundreds” of sexually explicit messages. Gonzales, a married father-of-six, formally announced that he would drop his re-election bid after admitting to an affair with a married congressional staffer who died by suicide in September 2025. New allegations have emerged that Gonzales supposedly asked another woman – who confirmed that she was the political director of his 2020 campaign for Congress – to send him nude photos “more than a dozen times over a period of three days.” The woman said the pair never had a physical relationship, and characterized the alleged behavior as “sexual bullying” in an interview. Gonzales’ office has not responded to questions about the ex-staffer’s claims.

Virginians Deeply Divided on Spanberger Months After Her Landslide Win
Washington Post, Gregory Schneider, Scoot Clement, and Praveena Somasundaram

Just two months into her term, Governor Abigail Spanberger’s (D-VA) approval rating stands at just 47 percent, with 46 percent of voters disapproving and 7 percent of voters expressing no opinion according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. After running a campaign focused on her reputation of bipartisanship, Spanberger won her election in a 15-point landslide last year. However, her current ratings reflect the sharp polarization among Virginia voters in their views of the state’s first female governor. This poll shows Spanberger’s approval rating at 13 percentage points lower than the average for Virginia governors in Post polling since the 1990s, and her near-even split in approval and disapproval scores is a worse net approval rating than the early-term scores of her predecessors in previous Post polls. While she has maintained the support of her Democratic base, she has not made inroads with Republicans, with nearly 9 in 10 disapproving. Interestingly, Spanberger gets higher levels of strong disapproval from Republicans when compared to the strong approval she receives from Democrats. Independent voters are split, with 45% approving and 46% disapproving. While Spanberger’s affordability agenda scores well with voters, there appears to be a large disconnect between voter impressions of Spanberger’s actions and her specific policies addressing affordability.

Missouri Governor Signs Bill Banning Judges From Delaying Divorces When a Spouse is Pregnant
CNN, Alisha Ebrahimji

On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Kehoe (R-MO) signed into law a bill banning state judges from delaying divorce proceedings because a spouse is pregnant. The legislation, which passed unanimously in both houses of Missouri’s government, will amend a state measure passed in the 1970s requiring couples to report “whether the wife is pregnant” – a detail that typically led state judges to prevent divorces from being finalized. While the original measure aimed to simplify custody agreements and child support, it also put spouses in “dangerous situations” if they were in abusive relationships. Bill sponsor State Rep. Cecelie Williams (R-MO) said that changing the state measure has been a priority for her since the day she decided to run for office, as she tried to finalize her divorce from an abusive spouse while pregnant about two decades ago. “I feel incredibly thankful that people listened to my story and understood the effects that this barrier has on women who are trying to escape their abusive relationships,” Williams said.

I’ve Covered Women in the Workplace for 15 Years. Something Alarming Is Happening.
The New York Times, Joanne Lipman

The Trump administration’s attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion may be slowly and systemically “erasing” women in the workforce. Companies that used to boast about their work championing their female employees are no longer eager to publicly admit their stances, with executives fearing not just the administration, but also retaliation from right-wing activists and “misogynistic trolls” who might target them for supporting DEI policies. Businesses, universities, and law firms have expunged references to “women” and “gender” under benign circumstances, as discussions about women have become “too politically charged to touch.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, a 2025 annual report on women in the workplace concluded that women have “less career support and fewer opportunities to advance.”

Maternal & Child Health Care Face Shifting Sands

Maternal and child health care have faced shifting priorities and arguments as political debates surrounding policies have continued to emerge. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office report published on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave roughly $34 million directly to 16 crisis pregnancy centers between 2018 and 2024. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, crisis pregnancy centers are “facilities that represent themselves as legitimate reproductive health care clinics providing care for pregnant people,” however, they work to dissuade them from seeking abortions. In the United States, there are currently between 2,400 and 2,800 crisis pregnancy centers. This report comes as the Trump administration works to double down on its “pro-life and pro-family agenda.”

In order to combat high maternal and infant mortality rates within the United States, mobile midwifery units are working to address the gaps. Securing maternity care has grown harder as OB-GYN shortages grow and labor and delivery units continue to close. To increase access to care, maternal health advocates have also pushed for states to change regulations that restrict midwifery. Funded through federal and university grants, as well as donations, the mobile clinic provides broad services to clients, with roughly 70% of clients reliant on Medicaid or uninsured.

Debates surrounding vaccine requirements have continued to increase, as parents seek out “vaccine friendly” clinics. “Vaccine friendly” or “vaccine neutral” are descriptors utilized to describe medical professionals who will care for children regardless of a parents’ vaccine views. Pediatricians who support vaccines have questioned the “neutral” or “friendly” branding, as parents share tips online to find health care providers who allow selective vaccinations or don’t require any. Pediatricians worry that this is creating a false narrative about their willingness to listen to parents who are hesitant about vaccinations. While parents hesitant about vaccinating their children have always existed, they might have previously felt isolated, while parents today have a welcoming internet at their disposal.

Efforts to Help Domestic Violence Survivors Could Boomerang

In January of 2026, Tennessee became the first state to establish a domestic violence registry, which contains the names of people who were convicted of or pleaded guilty to at least two domestic violence offenses. Lawmakers in at least 12 states have since proposed legislation to implement such registries. While a database that allows people to see if someone has been a domestic abuser might seem like a good idea, many groups dedicated to stopping domestic violence oppose such registries, arguing that they could actually harm women. They could create a false sense of security, because prosecutors do not file criminal charges roughly 70% of the time, according to an FBI report. Advocates worry that publicly listing an abuser’s name could inadvertently reveal the identity of the victim. On an international scale, protections for women who report their abusers may find themselves in jeopardy nevertheless. Carmen F., an immigrant from South America, reported repeated abuse by her husband to the police, who was later deported. She had applied for a U visa, which offers crime victims a path to permanent residency if they cooperate with law enforcement. However, U visa wait times often exceed 15 years due to a massive backlog. In the meantime, the administration deported applicants despite longstanding ICE policy, arguing they could return if approved. Last year, ICE detained and deported Carmen and her young son-sending them back to the same country as her abuser. She is part of a class action lawsuit to provide justice to domestic violence victims, but she and her son remain in a precarious situation.

Gavin Newsom’s wife calls out Trump’s ‘war on all women’ after firings
The Independent, Rhian Lubin

California’s “first partner,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom said that President Donald Trump’s firing of Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi was “no surprise” and is part of his wider “war on all women.” In an Instagram video Saturday, Newsom began by setting out that she was “no fan” of Bondi and Noem, who recently became the first Cabinet members of Trump’s second administration to receive the boot. “The conservative women…who align themselves with an agenda that controls women, restricting our rights, limiting our autonomy… is only in service of men,” said Newsom, who is the founder of a gender rights non-profit. She concluded by saying that there is a “war on all women” regardless of their political affiliation.