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

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Gen Z Politicians Don’t Want to ‘Wait Their Turn’
POLITICO, Katherine Long

Following record numbers of women candidates in two previous election cycles, the 2024 election saw a decline in women candidates on both sides of the aisle. The number of Republican women running for House seats in 2024 was down 36.4 percent compared to 2022, and Democrat women saw a 6.4 percent drop as well. Kat Abughazaleh and Deja Foxx, two Gen Z women who have recently announced their bids for office, represent a “new generation of left-of-center women” who are fighting back against the current administration, and many hope that other young women will follow their lead and enter the political arena.

WPI ED Betsy Fischer Martin expects to see an increased number of women running for office in response to President Donald Trump, adding that “women who saw this happening in high school have now gotten to a place where they can make a run for office and want to make a difference.” It isn’t always easy, however, for Gen Z women to launch political bids, as many of them lack access to funds and are working to make ends meet. According to Martin, another significant barrier holds Gen Z women back from running for office: traversing the digital landscape. “What we hear from some of the people in our program, this is a real factor for them, the online harassment component that goes along with running for office now,” Martin said. “Especially for young women.”

Stefanik Eyeing New York Governor’s Bid
The Hill, Jared Gans

Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is considering running for governor of New York in 2026. She was tapped to be the ambassador to the United Nations by President Trump, but her nomination was withdrawn last month after concerns about Republicans slim majority in the House. Stefanik has represented New York’s 21st district since 2015. Speculation she is running for governor comes after she tweeted about the state’s current governor, Kathy Hochul (D) low polling numbers, saying “This polling shows we can win and save New York.”

Expanding the Child Tax Credit Has Some Republican Support. Now What?
The 19th, Marissa Martinez

As Congress renegotiates the country’s tax structure, Republicans and Democrats have been juggling proposals for a child tax credit. For years, Democrats have “dominated the conversation” around the child tax credit, but some Republican legislators are now joining the fight since they believe they have “ground to gain” on populist issues. Many Democrats claim that this newfound support is hypocritical, as the GOP continues to give tax cuts to billionaires at the expense of social programs. Though President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said that they wanted to expand the credit on the campaign trail, this promise did not materialize on the White House’s priority list earlier in the year; additionally, the administration’s “unreliable” approach to economic issues makes it difficult to speculate what’s next for the credit once budget issues are settled.

Will the SAVE Act Make It Harder for Married Women to Vote? We Ask Legal Experts
NPR, Juliana Kim

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act will soon head to the Senate, sparking concern about how the bill may affect voting for millions of married women. The legislation, colloquially called the SAVE Act, seeks to make “sweeping reforms” on voter registration in response to fears about voter fraud. Among the changes outlined in the bill, the legislation would require voters to prove their U.S. citizenship before registering to vote. However, as many as 69 million American women who have taken their spouse’s name have birth certificates that no longer match the names they use today. Legal experts claim that obtaining new legal documents could be a challenge for some women, but suggest that states can ease this potential barrier by accepting secondary forms of identification, such as a legal decree of a name change or a marriage certificate. Experts also warn that ambiguity in the bill could lead to uneven policies across the country, speculating that some states will enforce “stricter document requirements” than others.

Women, Minorities Fired in Purge of NIH Science Review Boards
Washington Post, Carolyn Y. Johnson

The National Institutes of Health has fired a vast majority of women and minorities after purges last month. Of the 43 scientific experts that were fired last month, 38 were either women or Black or Hispanic. Reasons for the firings were not provided despite typically serving five-year terms on boards to evaluate the quality of science at the NIH. In contrast, only 6% of white men were fired. NIH board chairs said the chance of this event occurring by chance is 1 in 300. Those who were fired worked in fields like cancer and infectious disease research and mental health.

Oklahoma House Rep. Cyndi Munson Announces Run for Governor
News 9, Christian Hans

House Representative Cyndi Munson (D-OK) has announced her candidacy for Oklahoma’s governor in 2026. She represents Oklahoma district 85, a position she’s held since 2015. She is the first Democrat in Oklahoma to announce her candidacy. In a press release announcing her run, Munson said she, “will run to be a governor who works for all Oklahomans.”

U.S. military removes commander of Greenland base after JD Vance visit
Washington Post, Justine McDaniel

Colonel Susan Meyers has been removed from the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland after sending an email disagreeing with the Trump administration’s policy toward the territory. After Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Greenland, she emailed those on the base that the administration’s concerns are “not reflective” of the Pituffik base. A spokesperson for the Pentagon said Meyers was removed because behavior that does not align with President Trump’s agenda will “not be tolerated” and they had “lost confidence in her ability to lead.” Col. Meyers has served as commander of the base since July. She is now the fifth senior military official woman fired by the Trump administration.

In Grueling Ranger Competition, Gender Proves No Obstacle
The New York Times, Eve Sampson

A woman has competed in one of the military’s toughest physical tests for the first time in the competition’s history. First Lieutenant Gabrielle White, and her teammate Captain Seth Deltenre, placed 14th out of 52 competing teams. The challenge, Best Ranger Competition, has not seen a woman compete in the 40 years it’s been around. White is an Army Ranger, graduate of the Army’s Ranger School that only began accepting women ten years ago. Only 154 women have graduated from the school, where White did in April 2022. She previously graduated from West Point in 2021 and now trains officers in combat roles in the Maneuver Captains Career Course. Many view her competition victory as an unspoken win over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who previously said women should not serve in combat roles.

More Women View Climate Change as Their Number One Political Issue
19th News, Jessica Kutz

According to a new report from the Environmental Voter Project (EVP), far more women than men are listing environmental and climate issues as their top priority in voting. EVP, a nonpartisan nonprofit which focuses on get out the vote efforts to unlikely voters, found that women “far outpace” men on this issue: 62 percent of those who identified climate change as their top priority were women, compared to 37 percent of men, and the gender gap only widens when considering different intersections such as race and age. Nathaniel Stinnett, founder of the EVP, said that these findings are important because they point to who might be best to lead the country’s fight against the climate crisis. “If almost two thirds of climate voters are women, then all of us need to get better at embracing women’s wisdom and leadership skills,” Stinnett said.

Women’s Sports Coverage Goes Mainstream
Axios, Kerry Flynn and Sara Fischer

Roughly a dozen publishers have introduced new, specialized coverage plans for women’s sports following a “breakout year” for female athletes in 2024. This week, USA Today announced that they will launch a new content vertical on women’s sports called USA Today Studio IX that will feature content, news, and events. The program will include coverage about professional women’s sports leagues like the WNBA and WTA, along with collegiate and high school sports and the Olympics.

Women’s sports have become an opportunity for media companies to expand their business as interest in these programs skyrockets: Sports Illustrated, for example, announced last week that it will host the SI Women’s Games, an event with athletes competing across six sports that will broadcast in prime time; online, The Athletic and Yahoo Sports worked together last fall to launch a hub for women’s sports coverage on Yahoo Sports’ website and app.

Young Women Are Starting to Recession-Proof Their Lives
Wall Street Journal, Ann-Marie Alcántara

Even before President Donald Trump’s “tariff-induced financial panic,” consumer sentiment about the economy had already dropped to the lowest point since 2022, according to a monthly survey. Now, in response to Trump’s tariffs, that sentiment has plummeted even further, leading many women to try to “recession-proof” their lives. Some women are canceling unnecessary streaming services and cutting back on manicures, while others are turning to AI and Chat GPT for therapy instead of doling out hundreds for in-person sessions. Some have decided to stop using ride share apps such as Uber and Lyft, and others are ending their meal-delivery subscriptions, opting instead to cook at home and buy single-portion meals. Spending on general merchandise was down one percent among women in the three months ending February; since women are the “lion’s share of the apparel business,” such a downturn indicates a pullback in “discretionary spending.”

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds Announces She Won’t Seek Reelection in 2026
Associated Press, Hannah Fingerhut

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said that she will not seek reelection in a surprise announcement on Friday. Reynolds, who has held the position since 2017 and was elected again to full terms in 2018 and 2022, said the decision was not easy “because I love this state and I love serving you.” Reynolds’ choice to opt out of the race sets up next year’s election for Iowa’s gubernatorial race as the first without an incumbent in nearly two decades. In her announcement, Reynolds said that she is leaving office after years of her family supporting her, claiming that now “it’s time for me to be there for them.”