Leading Survivor Justice Advocates Name Accountability for Abuse as Critical Post-Midterm Conversation

For Immediate Release: November 12, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com

Women and survivors exercised their civic power in the 2026 midterms, elevating demands for transparency, accountability for sexual abuse, and policies that protect survivors and advance justice.

WASHINGTON D.C. — A coalition of 10+ organizations at the forefront of the survivor, gender, and reproductive justice movements, together with the Survivor Justice Network, a collective of 25 local, state, and national organizations working to end sexual and gender-based violence, released the following statement in reflection to the 2026 midterm elections results. The coalition highlighted support for accountability as a significant moment for survivor civic engagement, pointing to growing public attention to accountability for abuse, survivor safety, and justice as issues shaping the national conversation.

According to research by coalition member National Women’s Defense League, which tracked 51 candidates across the country facing publicly reported abuse allegations ranging from domestic violence and sexual harassment to sexual assault and sexual crimes involving children, at least 20 candidates lost their elections, were defeated in primaries, or left their races. Among the high-profile congressional candidates tracked were Rep. Cory Mills, who lost his Republican primary; Rep. Jimmy Gomez who lost his general election; and Rep. Max Miller, who was defeated after facing serious allegations of domestic abuse that prompted huge public outcry and multiple campaigns calling for his resignation. Ahead of the midterms, survivors and advocates also called out primary candidates over allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, including California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell and Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner. Both candidates subsequently withdrew from their races amid public backlash.

The 2026 midterm election season also brought renewed attention to the how public attacks on survivors of sexual abuse is retraumatizing to all survivors. In Ohio, a campaign attack ad targeting gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, sparked immense public backlash, including criticism from survivor justice organizations that condemned the ad.“Survivor justice was one of the defining issues of this election, and voters made clear that protecting powerful abusers comes with political consequences,” said Arisha Michelle Hatch, UltraViolet Action Executive Director, “Epstein survivors were one of the first constituencies to loudly challenge the corruption of this administration giving courage to others. Feminism is the answer, never the problem. And politicians who ignore that message do so at their own peril.”

This Congress, the Survivor Justice Network and our partners will continue mobilizing survivors as a powerful constituency, building our collective political power, and holding elected officials accountable for advancing policies that prevent sexual violence and make a meaningful, material difference in survivors’ lives.

“We look forward to continuing our work to ensure the next Congress and those coming into office at the state level prioritize survivor justice.” said Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), one of the organizational anchors of the Survivor Justice Network (SJN).  “We call upon those who voters have entrusted with leadership to recognize that they have an obligation to ensure accountability for gender-based violence and to build and support the systems that enable survivors of that violence to thrive. Survivors and their allies deserve nothing less.”

“The election’s results present an historic opportunity to reform laws that will hold predators to account and protect survivors,” said Sarah Higginbotham, Co-Founder & Co-Director of National Women’s Defense League Action. “Survivors will be writing the 2027 legislative agendas, drafting the bills and passing laws from outside and inside Congress and statehouses.”

“The American people have given this new Congress an imperative: meaningful, lasting change,” said Cheyenne Hunt, Executive Director of Reckoning Action. “Members on both sides of the aisle must stand with women – not just in word, but in action, to codify reproductive freedoms, end mass surveillance, protect women’s autonomy, keep predators out of power, and treat misogyny in American public life as the cancer it is.”

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About the Survivor Justice Network

The Survivor Justice Network is a collective of 25 local, state, and national organizations working to end sexual and gender-based violence. Anchored by me too. International, the National Women’s Law Center, and Justice for Migrant Women, the Network works alongside more than 100 community partners to conduct survivor-led research, align shared policy priorities, and coordinate national civic engagement initiatives.

Coalition Members:

UltraViolet Action is a women-led gender justice 501c4 organization, with an online community of more than 1 million members nationwide. We combine organizing, technology, creative campaigning, and people power to win real-world changes for women and gender-expansive people.

National Women’s Defense League Action Fund (NWDL) is a national, nonpartisan organization dedicated to preventing workplace sexual harassment and protecting survivors through research, advocacy, and survivor support. We are building a movement because speaking truth to power should not be the burden of survivors alone.

Reckoning Action exists to confront misogyny and gender bias in American public life — in its structural forms, in its cultural expressions, and in the institutions of power that enforce the subjugation of women. We organize, advocate, and fight across every arena where that subjugation operates: in congress, in statehouses, in boardrooms, in the media, and in the narratives that shape what Americans believe women deserve.

The National Women’s Law Center fights for gender justice—in the courts, in public policy, and in our society—working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us—especially women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families. For 50 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women.

me too. International is a global organization working at the intersection of survivor justice, structural change, and narrative strategy to end sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms. We bring together survivors, organizers, and partners across borders and sectors to build the relationships, networks, and infrastructure needed to sustain a global movement. Through collective organizing, we strengthen the exchange of knowledge, build and support shared strategies, and build collective power to advance meaningful change.

Justice for Migrant Women is a national nonprofit organization that works to ensure migrant and rural women can live and work with dignity and free from sexual violence. Through public education, policy advocacy, narrative and culture change work, J4MW raises awareness of gender-based violence and workplace exploitation and advances the civil and human rights of migrant women and their families. Justice for Migrant Women is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. J4MW joins this statement only as to its policy and issue content and takes no position on any candidate, party, or election outcome.