I’ve been writing and researching this topic all day and finally have at least two definitive posts, with a whole lot of links for people who want to see behind the data. You can read a lengthy post on the Gains and Losses, Big Picture, Congress, State Legislatures and you can also scour sources until you can’t absorb anymore at this day after wrap-up that includes a link to the Palin Endorsement Tracker from the Washington Post.
Bottom line: The losses overall for women, not so enormous at the federal level, significant though at the state level overall. For Democratic women, not as bad as anxiety would have us believe, but definitely a decline in numbers at both levels, while the Republican women did add to their ranks, and very significantly at the state level.
Surprises: the number of women governors in 2011 will be the same as in 2010 and the self-funded women and high-profile tea party Senate favorites did not do well.