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Our Research

For 25 years, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation was the only organization dedicated to specifically studying women running for executive office on both sides of the aisle. For more than two decades, elected officials, candidates, practitioners, and press have used Barbara Lee Family Foundation research to better understand the obstacles and opportunities that women in politics encounter.

Second in Command: The Challenges and Opportunities Facing Women Lieutenant Governors (2023)

Our research found that voters do not have strong opinions about lieutenant governors. This creates both an awareness obstacle, and an opportunity to define the role of lieutenant governor, for women in this position. The research provides an unprecedented look at how voters perceive women running for or serving as lieutenant governor. Key Findings: A […]

Shared Hurdles: How Political Races Change When Two Women Compete (2022)

With more and more women running for office, races between women candidates will become the norm — not a novelty. Shared Hurdles reveals how candidates’ race, political party, and gender interact to influence voter opinion when more than one woman is on the ballot.

Staying Power: Strategies for Women Incumbents (2021)

As record numbers of women serve in public office, we are learning strategies for women incumbents seeking reelection. Staying Power shows that voters want a woman running for reelection to showcase her specific achievements in office–they will not assume she is doing a good job, nor simply take her word for it. Beyond addressing the issues in […]

Putting Sexism in its Place on the Campaign Trail (2021)

With more women than ever in elected office, more women are likely to face sexism on the campaign trail. Sexism in politics can take many forms, from double standards for women candidates, to undue criticisms of their appearance, voice, or clothing. The decisions of whether and how to address sexism can be complex to navigate for women candidates—involving questions about the candidate’s electability, how to deal with personal offense, and how to message about sexist incidents.

Rising to the Occasion: How Women Leaders Prove They Can Handle a Crisis (2020)

While the current COVID-19 pandemic underscores its importance, proving they can handle a crisis has consistently been important for women candidates and will continue to be so in the years to come.

Ready, Willing, & Electable: Women Running for Executive Office (2019)

When running for executive office, women face obstacles that men running simply do not. This research, which asks about hypothetical Asian American, Black, Latina, lesbian, and white women candidates of the two major political parties, comprehensively examines what it takes for a woman to prove to voters she is ready to serve in executive office.

Relaunch: Resilience and Rebuilding for Women Candidates After an Electoral Loss (2018)

Some women candidates may be hesitant to run again because they know that the barriers for women running for office are higher than they are for men - why should the standard after a loss be any different? This research shows that voters think women who have lost their elections are still qualified and likeable (two must-haves for women candidates), and that losing an election can be a good moment for a powerful launch of a woman candidate’s next campaign. It also points to concrete steps for women candidates to help set them up for a future run.

#MeToo: An Issue that Transcends Party (2018)

This research from the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, conducted in partnership with Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Consulting, shows that voters respond positively when women candidates on both sides of the aisle talk about sexual harassment in their candidate profiles, and provides insights about candidate messages supporting and questioning the #MeToo movement. BLFF has released three research memos addressing the nuances of this topic.

Modern Family: How Women Candidates Can Talk About Politics, Parenting, and Their Personal Lives (2017)

As more women run for office and are elected, voters question how women can serve constituents and take care of family responsibilities at the same time. Women candidates wonder whether they should talk about their family and personal life and how to do so without alienating voters.

Politics is Personal: Keys to Likeability and Electability for Women (2016)

Like it or not, likeability is a non-negotiable quality voters seek in women officeholders and candidates. At the same time, it’s an intangible quality. Voters have difficulty clearly defining what it means to come across as likeable. When it comes to articulating what attracts them to a candidate or officeholder, voters have an “I know it when I see it” mindset.

Our Essential Guide for Women

A dynamic look at what it takes for women to run for office and succeed based on 25 years of research.

Keys to Elected Office