30 Most Influential US Female Politicians

Kamala Harris by Lawrence Jackson from Wikimedia Commons

30 Most Influential US Female Politicians

They have broken down barriers and defied the status quo to create a better political space for future generations. These U.S. female politicians have brought change and progress to the country. Hence there is an increased number of women in top-ranking government positions.

Kamala Harris is one such example who is celebrated for being the first woman to hold the second highest office in the country. Hillary Clinton is appreciated for her boldness in vying for the presidential seat in 2006. Nancy Pelosi has served as the speaker of the House of Representatives and read on to discover the rest.

Here are the 30 Most Influential U.S. Female Politicians.

1. Kamala Harris

The 49th vice president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964. She is the first female vice president of the country. Thus making her the highest–ranking female official in U.S history.

Furthermore, she is a Democrat, and she served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. She also served as a senator representing California from 2017 to 2021.

Check out the Famous Women in American History.

2. Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton by Gage Skidmore from Wikimedia Commons

This U.S. female politician is also a diplomat. She served as the 67th United States secretary of state under President Barack Obama’s regime. Clinton held the office from the year 2009 up to 2013.

Additionally, she served as a senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009. From 1993 to 2001, she held the position of the first lady when her husband Bill Clinton was president.

In 2006, she secured the presidential nomination position by the Democratic Party. Thus, making her the first woman to win the presidential nomination by a major political party in the country’s history. Yet she lost the presidential seat to Donald trump. She was born on October 26, 1947.

3. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Steve Petteway from Wikimedia Commons

The jurist was a lawyer by profession and was born on March 15, 1933. Her highest office was serving as the associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her demise in 2020.

Ginsburg’s influence in the judicial space was through her notable majority opinions. Such as the United States v. Virginia (1996), Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), and more. She died on September 18th, 2020.

4. Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi has served in the capacity of speaker of the House of Representatives two times, first from 2007 to 2011 and also from 2019 to 2023. She became the first woman to be elected speaker.

Pelosi is also known for her long service as the representative of California’s 11th congressional district in the House of Representatives. She has served in this capacity since 1987. She was born on March 26, 1940.

5. Kirsten Gillibrand

This politician is a lawyer by profession. She has served as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009. Before her senate position, she served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009.

She ran for the Democratic nomination for the presidential seat in 2020, officially announcing her candidacy on March 17, 2019. Yet she withdrew from the race on August 28, 2019, when she failed to qualify for the third debate. Kirsten was born on December 9, 1966.

6. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by Franmarie Metzler from Wikimedia Commons

Cortez is one of the U.S. female politicians who established a name in the political scene at a young age. She was born on October 13, 1989.

On top of that, since 2019, she has been the representative for New York’s 14th congressional district. She is a Democrat and the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress. Her social media presence is commendable relative to her colleagues in Congress.

7. Elizabeth Ann Warren

She was born on June 22, 1949. She is a politician and former law professor. She has served as senator of Massachusetts since 2013. Warren focuses on consumer protection, fair economic opportunity, and the social safety net while in the Senate. She tried her luck as the candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries but finished third.

She is acclaimed as one of the most influential professors in commercial and bankruptcy law before beginning her political career. She taught at Harvard University, the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Pennsylvania. She has also written over 12 books and more than 100 articles.

8. Susan Collins

Susan Collins in 2014 by U.S. Congress from Wikimedia Commons

She is a Republican serving as the senior senator from Maine since 1997. She was born on December 7, 1952. Further, she is Maine’s longest-serving member of Congress.

She has chaired several committees in Senate like the Special Committee on Aging from 2015 to 2021. From 2003 to 2007 she led the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Collins’s seniority in the Senate has earned her recognition as the dean of Maine’s congressional delegation. To boot, she is the only New England Republican in the 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses.

Meet the Most Famous African American Politicians.

9. Condoleezza Rice

Rice doubles as a diplomat and political scientist. She was born on November 14, 1954. The top-ranking political offices this Republican has held include serving as the 66th United States secretary of state from 2005 to 2009. She was also the 19th U.S. national security advisor from 2001 to 2005.

Subsequently, serving in the above capacities made her the first female African-American secretary of state and the first woman to serve as national security advisor.

10. Barbara Boxer

Barbara Boxer by US Congress from Wikimedia Commons

Besides politics, Boxer is also a lobbyist and she was born on November 11, 1940. She served in the Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. Before joining the senate, from 1983 until 1993, the Democrat served as the U.S. representative for California’s 6th congressional district.

11. Dianne Feinstein

This US female politician was born on June 22, 1933. She has served as the senior senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. She belongs to the Democratic Party and was mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988.

12. Nancy Davis Reagan

Nancy Reagan by Official White House photographer from Wikimedia Commons

She joined the political scene when she became the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of President Ronald Reagan. Before her political journey, she was a film actress. Nancy was born on July 6, 1921, and died on March 6, 2016, aged 94 years.

13. Madeleine Albright

She served as a diplomat and political scientist. She was born on May 15, 1937. Albright served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. This made her the first woman to hold the position. She was a Democrat and died on March 23, 2022. 

14. Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama by Tim Pierce from Wikimedia Commons

Michelle rose to the political spotlight when she became the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 as the wife of President Barack Obama. She is an attorney by profession and also a renowned author.

On top of that, she was the first African-American woman to hold the position of first lady. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She was born on January 17, 1964.

15. Eleanor Roosevelt

As a US female politician, Eleanor left an indelible mark in the fight for human rights. President Harry S. Truman once called her the “First Lady of the World” in tribute to her human rights achievements.

She was the country’s Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from the year 1945 until 1952. In 1948, the assembly appreciated her efforts through their adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

From 1933 to 1945, during the four-term regime of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was the first lady. Thus she is the longest-serving first lady of the United States. She was born on October 11, 1884, and died on November 7, 1962, at the age of 78.

16. Shirley Chisholm

Chisholm left a mark as the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. She represented New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms from 1969 to 1983.

Furthermore, in 1972 she became the first Black candidate for a major-party nomination for the Presidential race. She also set a record as the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s nomination. She was born on November 30, 1924, and she died on January 1, 2005.

17. Olympia Jean Snowe

Olympia Snowe, photo by Office of Senator Olympia Snowe from Wikimedia Commons

Snowe is a Republican female politician cum businesswoman. She was born on February 21, 1947. Her political positions include Senator from Maine (1995 to 2013).

Additionally, during her service in the Senate, she was famous for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters (talking a bill to death).

In 2006, Snowe ranked among America’s Best Senators listed by Time magazine. She is also considered one of the most moderate members of the chamber when she was in the Senate.

Discover the Most Influential Female Politicians of All Time.

18. Sandra Day O’Connor

Sandra Day O’Connor, by Sven Manguard from Wikimedia Commons

She is both an attorney and politician born on March 26, 1930. She served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. Hence became both the first woman nominated and the first confirmed to the court.

19. Janet Reno

As a lawyer and female politician, she established her name in the U.S. political space and secured top political positions. She became the 78th United States attorney general from 1993 to 2001.

Over and above that, she was the first woman to hold the office of attorney general in the United States. She was a Democratic Party member. Reno was born on July 21, 1938, and died on November 7, 2016.

20. Donna Brazile

The political strategist, campaign manager, and political analyst was born on 15th December 1959. She served as acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee two times. She is a contributor for ABC News and has worked in the same capacity for Fox News and CNN.

Brazile has led presidential campaigns for Democrats like Jesse Jackson. She served as the acting chair of the Democratic National Committee in the spring of 2011, and again from July 2016 to February 2017.

21. Carol Moseley Braun

Carol Moseley Braun by Scanlan from Wikimedia Commons

Born on August 16, 1947, Braun served as a diplomat, politician, and lawyer. She represented Illinois in the Senate from 1993 to 1999. Before her Senate tenure, she served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 1988.

Moreover, she was the Recorder of Deeds for Cook County from 1988 to 1992. Though this position was abolished in 2020. In January 2023, she received an appointment by President Joe Biden to serve as chair of the United States African Development Foundation.

22. Stacey Yvonne Abrams

This Democrat sat in Georgia’s  House of Representatives beginning 2007 until 2017. She became a minority leader in 2011 and served in the position until 2017. Abrams is also a lawyer, voting rights activist, and author. She founded Fair Fight Action in 2018. It’s an organization to address voter suppression.

Find out the Most Influential Women of All Time.

23. Ayanna Pressley

Ayanna Pressley by an Unknown author from Wikimedia Commons

Ayanna is a Massachusetts representative in Congress since 2019. Her birth date is February 3, 1974. Before Congress, she served in the House of Representatives as a member of the Boston City Council from 2010 through 2019.

Thus, she was the first black woman elected to the Boston City Council and the first black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts. She is a member of “The Squad”, a group of left-wing progressive congress members.

24. Gretchen Whitmer

This U.S. female politician is also a lawyer, born on August 23, 1971. She belongs to the Democratic Party and has served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006. From 2006 to 2015, she served in the Michigan Senate.

Her national popularity came in 2013 when she tabled a speech during a debate on abortion in the Senate. She shared her experience of being sexually assaulted.

25. Deb Haaland

Deb Haaland by Franmarie Metzler from Wikimedia Commons

Haaland was born on December 2, 1960. She is serving as the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior. She was the chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017. From 2019 to 2021, she served as the representative for New Mexico’s 1st congressional district.

26. Maxine Waters

This female politician has represented California’s 43rd congressional district since 1991. She was born on August 15, 1938, and she has served in the House for over 17 terms. She chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 1997 to 1999. She was also chair of the House Financial Services Committee from 2019 to 2023.

27. Mazie Hirono

The US female politician is also a lawyer. She was born on November 3, 1947. She is a Democrat senator for Hawaii since 2013. She was a member of the House of Representatives for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013. She also served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995.

28. Ilhan Omar

Ilhan Omar by Kristie Boyd from Wikimedia Commons

Omar has been the representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. She was born on October 4, 1982.

Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. At the time, she represented part of Minneapolis.

She is the first Somali American and the first naturalized citizen of African birth in the United States Congress. She is also one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress.

29. Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard by U.S. House Office of Photography from Wikimedia Commons

The female American politician, doubles as a United States Army Reserve officer, and political commentator. From 2013 to 2021, she was the representative for Hawaii in Congress.

To add on, she was the first Hindu member of Congress and also the first Samoan-American voting member of Congress. She was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election. She is now an independent candidate since October 2022.

30. Tammy Baldwin

She is Senator for Wisconsin since 2013, born on February 11, 1962. The Democrat has served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1999 to 2013.

The women highlighted in this list have contributed to the shaping of American politics. From the early suffrage activists to the modern-day political models, they have all fought for a fair political environment for all Americans and society.