The Maryland congressional caucus is currently comprised of two male senators and eight male congressmen, and the female candidates running for public office in Maryland did not fare well in Tuesday’s primary to challenge their state’s all-male representing body.
While this year might be the year of women, only two out of 13 women running for seats in the House and Senate made it past their primaries. Those two candidates, Liz Matoy and Amie Hoeber, face unfavorable odds come November as they are Republicans running in Solid Democratic districts.
Maryland only recently became an all-male delegation. Democrats Donna F. Edwards and Barbara Ann Mikulski served in the House and Senate, respectively, and finished their terms in 2017. There has never been a woman who’s served as governor of Maryland. Two women ran in primaries to break their state’s gubernatorial glass ceiling, and both failed.
Based on the performance on Tuesday, with no female candidates running in races where they’re expected to win, Maryland could have the largest all-male delegation in Congress next year.
And although Maryland may become the largest all-male delegation, it is certainly not alone. Eleven other states currently have strictly male representatives for both chambers of Congress.
South Carolina would come in a close second to Maryland, with both senators and all seven representatives being men. In a surprising upset, Katie Arrington, who challenged and defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford, is in a good position to change that as her district is rated Solid Republican.
There is a chance for other states with larger caucuses than Maryland and few female representatives to surpass the Old Line State.
Tennessee for example has nine representatives, two of which are women. With the two women being Marsha Blackburn who is running for a competitive Senate seat, and Diane Black, who is running for governor, the chances that two women will remain representing Tennessee in the House seems less likely.
There are many other states where only one woman serves in the delegation. In New Jersey, out of the twelve representatives for the House, one is a woman. And in Georgia, one out of fourteen representatives is a woman.
Pennsylvania currently has the largest all-male caucus, with 18 male Representatives for the House and Senate combined, but women are better positioned to change the makeup of that state’s caucus. Eight woman have won primaries, and two, Mary Gay Scanlon and Chrissy Houlahan, have favorable odds heading into November as they are both Democrats running in districts that CNN has marked a Likely Democratic.
There is one state that is in a league of its own, and that is New Hampshire. It is the only state where all members of Congress are women.