Welcome to the Media Round Up! We’ve collected and shared our favorite gender + politics stories from this week. Is there a story we should know about? Tell us at:  ongender@gmail.com.

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Kamala in La La Land
POLITICO, Will McCarthy

POLITICO explores former Vice President Kamala Harris’ quiet departure from the political arena following her 2024 electoral defeat by Donald Trump. Failed candidates have reacted to their respective losses in a number of ways, and Harris chose to spend “six months in self-imposed exile,” causing many Democrats to conclude that she might “simply fade away” from politics altogether. During her time away from the spotlight, Harris signed on as a client for a talent agency, launched a website that memorialized her term as vice president, and penned a book about her presidential campaign. Only recently has Harris come back into the spotlight – in the past few weeks, she has addressed the DNC, commented on the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela, and spoken about her former running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, after his decision to end his reelection campaign.

Trump-Backed Challenger Enters Race to Unseat Senator Bill Cassidy
The New York Times, Shane Goldmacher

On Tuesday, Representative Julia Letlow, a Republican from Louisiana, announced that she would challenge Senator Bill Cassidy in the upcoming Republican primary. Her announcement occurred days after President Trump announced his support for her potential bid. Letlow was first elected into Congress in a special election in 2021, following her husband’s death, which left the congressional seat open. Cassidy, an occasional critic of President Trump, remains committed to his re-election and stated that he had spoken to Letlow about her entrance into the race. In addition to Letlow, Cassidy is also being challenged by John Fleming, a former congressman and Louisiana treasurer.

Nancy Lacore, Former Navy Reserve Chief, runs for Congress 

Nancy Lacore, a three-star admiral and former chief of the Navy Reserve before she was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, announced a run for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). Registering as a Democrat, Lacore joins 4 other Democrats and 10 Republicans hoping to replace Mace. A mother of six, she decided to make her first run for elected office Dec. 1, the same day she officially retired from the Navy. “I think our military is being politicized,” Lacore told the Gazette. “I think our democracy’s at risk, to be honest, and I want to be a part of the solution.” While a fairly new South Carolina resident, Lacore said her ties to the Palmetto State include a daughter and her husband graduating from the University of South Carolina. They live in the Lowcountry, and she’s been vacationing in the Lowcountry for a decade.

Jasmine Crockett is daring Democrats to rethink electability. Some aren’t sold.
Washington Post, Liz Goodwin

Recent speculation about the electability of U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) highlights a larger conversation that the Democratic party has been having about what makes a candidate “electable.” After the party’s disappointing performance in the 2024 election, some Democrats are considering whether they should endorse more mild, “tempered” candidates or opt to endorse more “pugnacious firebrands.” Crockett, who has received backlash for her “uniquely fiery style,” marks a departure from the types of “cautious candidates” that the Democratic party has tried to recruit in recent years. With a large online following built on viral political content, Crockett says that her unfiltered style is key to accessing disengaged voters, and that she wants to cultivate a brand as a person who “tells the truth, even when it hurts.”

Women Governors & Candidates in the News
Female governors and gubernatorial hopefuls have made headlines across the country this week. In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) drew parallels between the American Revolution and the current political moment as she was sworn in on Tuesday; Sherrill’s decisive victory over a Trump-endorsed rival marked a “major win” for Democrats, with the results largely seen as a referendum on Trump and his administration. In Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger addressed a joint session of the General Assembly on Monday, renewing calls for unity while drawing “clear lines” of where she intends to take her administration and how she plans to stand up to President Trump. Lastly, in Wyoming, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder announced that she is running for governor in 2026, officially joining the race just days after earning an endorsement from President Trump. On her campaign website, Degenfelder vows to support ICE, promote “conservative family values,” and support fossil-fuel development.

Women, Work & The Economy

The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job report reveals some “striking disparities” between men and women in the job market. Ninety-one thousand women left the work force last month, compared to 10,000 men who joined the labor force. Men joined the labor market at a rate three times greater than women in 2025; additionally, disparities among specific demographics – such as mothers and Black women – are continually widening. Between February and July of 2025, Black women lost 319,000 jobs in the private and public sectors, largely driven by “mass layoffs” in education, housing, and healthcare. Some are attributing this disparity due to “targeted harm” by a conservative agenda that is “openly committed to undoing their progress.” Having fewer women in the work force is not just detrimental to the workplace, but to the economy. Since women constitute roughly half of the population, their departure from the labor market translates to less money to spend on goods and services in local economies.

Half of American Women Support Abolishing ICE, Polling Shows
The 19th* News, Marissa Martinez

According to a new poll released by YouGov and The Economist, 50% of American women support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is a dramatic shift from June, when 28% of American women supported its abolishment. For the first time, the survey found that more Americans support abolishing ICE than oppose it. This significant shift in public opinion follows the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Congressional Democrats have put forward numerous proposals to rein in or abolish the agency.

After Renee Good Killing, Derisive Term for White Women Spreads on the Far Right
The New York Times, Clyde McGrady

In the days since a federal agent killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, some right-wing influencers have spread a new acronym: AWFUL (Affluent White Female Urban Liberal).The term AWFUL is not the first derisive name targeting white women. People across the political spectrum once gleefully targeted so-called Karens, a term meant to denigrate women — usually white and middle-aged — caught using their privilege to bend the world in their direction. The use of AWFUL emerged well before Ms. Good was killed. Conservative critics began attaching it to female protesters at least as far back as the summer of 2025. Some say there is good reason to key in on such women. Conservative commentator Erik Erickson, in a recent Substack post, called Ms. Good’s death a “tragedy,” but one that Ms. Good and “her lesbian partner” had brought on themselves.

Women’s Health in the News

Women’s health has been a big news topic in 2026. It remains significantly underfunded relative to its importance for global wellbeing and economic growth. Despite representing nearly half the world’s population, many of the conditions that affect women uniquely or require women-specific approaches continue to receive limited attention from research, innovation and private investment. Compounding these challenges, the new trend of vaccine skepticism from ‘crunchy moms’ has fueled growing public debate. Meanwhile, growing tensions in the healthcare industry have caused a walkout in New York City. Currently 15,000 nurses are on strike, demanding increased staffing, better safety, and preserved benefits. The nurses union began striking after months of unsuccessful talks surrounding health care benefits and staffing shortages.

Reproductive Rights Policy Continues to Roil

Public debates surrounding abortion and reproductive rights continue to roil, as the pro-life movement prepares for the 53rd annual March for Life. Ahead of the demonstration, the movement has identified a number of key issues, notably, the reversal of several Biden era policies, such as eased restrictions on mifepristone, preservation of the Hyde Amendment, increased investment in pro-life spending in the upcoming midterms, and pardons for FACE Act convictions. Debates surrounding abortion continue in the  Wisconsin Senate, with introduction of the Pregnancy Loss Protection Act. The act intends to protect individuals who experience miscarriage or stillbirth from overzealous prosecutors or law enforcement officers. At the same time, the Wisconsin Senate passed  SB 553, a bill that defines embryos, fertilized eggs and fetuses as “unborn children” and “human beings” from the moment of fertilization. Finally, Virginia voters will have the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment at the end of the year to protect reproductive rights. As abortion bans increase among other Southern states, out-of-state abortions have increased in Virginia, demonstrating its regional importance in the fight for reproductive freedom.

How the Trump Administration is Downgrading Women’s Citizenship
The Nation, Soraya Chemaly

This week marks the first year of Trump’s second term in office. From ICE deportations, to the dismantling of DEI, to the criminalization of pregnancy, to environmental rollbacks, the administration has narrowed whom it protects and who, through degradations to citizenship, it has determined is expendable. Gender often determines who bears risks, absorbs costs, and is rendered responsible for the failures of markets and the state. Women’s issues are often seen as just abortion, childcare, or day-to-day cost of living, but these issues are defined by how we define citizenship.