The Price of the Seat: What 12 Pilot Interviews Reveal About Serving as a Woman of Color in Office

Drawing on 12 pilot interviews with women of color serving in elected office across eight states, this report examines the safety threats and structural barriers that shape their experience in public service. The findings point to systemic dysfunction that both constrains and endangers these officials, limiting their capacity to govern.

Key findings

• All respondents reported safety concerns tied to election cycles and specific policy positions, with effects that spilled over onto their families and shaped how they moved through public life.
• Women of color described being recruited by political parties for their community ties, but said those same communities' priorities were consistently deprioritized once in office.
• Many respondents who came from grassroots organizing backgrounds felt abandoned by their former movements after being elected, even as they were held to uniquely high expectations for transformative change.
• Respondents' credentials and qualifications faced heightened scrutiny compared to male and non-minority colleagues, with standards that shifted depending on the position sought.
• Interviewees described frequent commentary on their appearance and repeated nativist rhetoric questioning their legitimacy to hold office, including formal legal challenges to their citizenship.