Our study considered whether women candidates for state legislative office in the United States face a glass cliff, disproportionately running for office in districts that are harder to win for their party. Using election data from 2011-2016, we defined district winnability as a latent construct and tested its mediating effect on gender differences in election outcomes using a structural equation modeling approach. We found divergent glass cliff outcomes for Republican versus Democratic candidates. Results suggest that the strategic motives which contribute to glass cliff conditions in the corporate context are shaped differently in politics. We argue this is due to variation in the structure of political versus corporate careers and the party specific experiences of female candidates in the U.S., where political identities are tied to traditional versus progressive attitudes toward women. Our results suggest that domain and context specific glass cliff conditions require studies and solutions tailored to context.