Welcome to the Media Round Up! This week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories.

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Growing Number of Women Launch Bids for Governor
The Hill, Julia Manchester

In the lead up to the 2025 and 2026 elections, an increasing number of women have launched their bids for governor, with 40 women announcing bids for the 2026 elections alone. Notably, Virginia will see the commonwealth’s first female governor this November, as former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears (R) compete for the position. However, the disparity between the number of men and women who have served as governor is striking, with only 51 women serving as a governor of an U.S. state previously. While there are many stereotypes surrounding a woman’s ability to serve in chief executive levels, many of these gubernatorial candidates possess backgrounds in law enforcement and national security, demonstrating their strength and ability to serve in these positions.

‘Weak, Woke And Whiny’ No More
The New York Times, Michelle Cottle

Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and Virginia congresswoman and now the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, is a part of a growing group of “national security moms” within the Democratic Party. These women, with backgrounds in military or intelligence work, combine maternal empathy with strength and leadership. They project competence, courage, and mission-driven focus, challenging stereotypes that paint Democrats as weak or unpatriotic. Their service records provide credibility on issues such as public safety and national security, which helps counter Republican attacks and connect with moderate or conservative voters. They offer strength, authenticity, and bipartisan appeal in a political landscape shaped by chaos, Trump-era aggression, and voter desire for resolute leadership. The desire for a political fighter has been amplified by the rise of “toughness as political currency,” Betsy Fischer Martin, the executive director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, said. “After Trump’s kind of brute strength set the tone, voters were looking for leaders to project some of that same resolve.”

Comings and Goings

Female elected officials in both major parties continue to make headlines with their entrances and departures from several key races. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) attracted widespread attention last week by confirming that she will not seek reelection in 2026, opening up a Senate seat in a red-leaning state that Democrats will target. Ernst’s departure from her position has inspired Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) to seek the Senate seat, formally announcing her candidacy on Tuesday. Also in the Hawkeye State, Catelin Drey (D) pulled off a victory in a special election race for the state Senate, breaking the Republican’s supermajority in the chamber for the first time in three years. Drey flipped a GOP-held Iowa Senate seat that became vacant when the Republican incumbent passed in June.

In Trump’s Federal Work Force Cuts, Black Women Are Among The Hardest Hit
The New York Times, Erica L. Green

Though tens of thousands of employees have lost their jobs due to the current administration’s “slash-and-burn” approach to reducing the federal work force, experts contend that President Trump’s cuts disproportionately affect Black employees – and Black women, in particular. Historically, the federal government has offered Black Americans job opportunities as they enforced affirmative action and anti-discrimination policies in hiring. Since Trump’s White House has sought to roll back these measures, economists say that Black women are being hit “especially hard” – the most recent labor statistics show that nationwide, Black women have lost 319,000 jobs in the public and private sectors between February and July of 2025. Experts claim that these job losses are due, in large part, to Trump’s cuts to federal agencies where Black women are “highly concentrated.”

‘I’m Not Going to Tolerate Being Treated as a Second-Class Citizen’: Carol Moseley Braun Isn’t Giving Up on the Fight for Constitutional Equality
Ms. Magazine

Carol Moseley Braun made history as the first black woman elected to the Senate, the first woman elected to represent Illinois in the Senate, the first woman on the Senate Finance Committee, and the first woman and African American person appointed to serve as United States ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. In the episode “The Feminist Fight For The Equal Rights Amendment Is Far From Over—and More Urgent Than Ever” of the Looking Back, Moving Forward podcast, Moseley Braun is joined by former Nevada state senator and ERA champion Pat Spearman, Feminist Majority Foundation president and ERA movement leader Ellie Smeal, Ms. executive editor Kathy Spillar and ERA Project director Ting Ting Cheng. Together, they reflect on the more than 50 years of activism to ratify the ERA, and the power that would come from women’s constitutional equality to redefine democracy. You can see more of Kathy Spillar in the WPI Women on Wednesday’s webinar: Ms. Magazine at 50

Women’s Health Care

Recent rules and legislation from the Trump Administration have placed significant restrictions on access to women’s health care. Notably, a new rule proposed by the administration would ban doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs from performing abortions, even in cases of rape and incest. With a sole exception allowing abortion to take place if “the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term,” many abortion rights activists are stating that this rule is far too limiting. Likewise, President Trump’s recent tax and spending plan has received criticism for its negative impacts on rural hospitals and access to maternity care, due to its cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid, the largest funder of pregnancy resources nationwide, covers 41 percent of births across the country. With decreased funding, many rural hospitals face closures, causing a significant barrier for those seeking maternity care, as the distance between individuals and hospitals may discourage them from seeking care.

Epstein Accusers Put Pressure on Congress to Release the Files
NBC News

During a press conference at the U. S. Capitol on Wednesday, a group of Jeffrey Epstein accusers publicly told their personal stories of sexual abuse at the hands of the late convicted sexual offender and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. They are continuing efforts to raise pressure on lawmakers to back the release of files by the Department of Justice. One of the women, Marina Lacerda, identified herself as “Minor Victim 1” and spoke about her story for the first time in public. In the halls of Congress, women members are responding. Rep. Nancy Mace, herself a survivor of sexual assault, was visibly distraught after meeting with survivors and listening to their stories. Further, more than 200 Representatives have signed a Discharge Petition to force a vote on the matter, including prominent Republican women, who cited demands from their constituents and empathy with survivors as reasons for their support.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett Says the Law Isn’t an “Opinion Poll” as Supreme Court Faces Longshot Bid to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage
CBS News, Melissa Quinn

In an interview with CBS News on Sunday night, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett discussed her upcoming book “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution.” While discussing the publication and book tour, Justice Barrett spoke about her message to Americans, stating that she wanted Americans to “understand the law,” and that the law is “not just an opinion based poll” of the view of the nine Supreme Court justices. Justice Barrett elaborated by stating “the court should not be imposing its own values on the American people.”