Thirteen female governors will be sworn in next year in the United States, surpassing the previous record of 12 set in 2022.
Kelly Ayotte's victory in New Hampshire, the Associated Press announced Monday, broke an all-time high as the Republican is set to become the Granite State's next governor in January.
“Having women in these roles is critical to normalizing the image of women in political leadership, and more specifically, in the C-suite, where they are not just part of a team but the only leader,” Kelly said.・Research Director Dittmer said. The Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics said:
The record-breaking lineup also includes women who have recently been considered for presidential posts.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was considered a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and before Vice President Kamala Harris quickly clinched the nomination.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, is also considered a potential running mate for President-elect Donald Trump.
Although the United States did not elect its first female president, whether or not Ayotte wins the New Hampshire gubernatorial election, the record for most female governors in New Hampshire's history will be broken.
Ayotte, a former senator and the third female governor in state history, ran opposite Democratic candidate Joyce Craig in a rare race where two women were elected.
Of the 13 female governors, five are Republicans, also a new high, and eight are Democrats.
Still, no woman has ever held the office of governor in 18 states.
“This is another aspect of political leadership where women continue to be underrepresented. Thirteen out of 50 are still underrepresented,” Dittmar said.
New Hampshire is a rare outlier given its extensive history of electing women to political office.
When Ayotte was a senator, she was part of the country's first all-female Congressional delegation. New Hampshire was also the first state to elect a woman as governor in 1997.
“Being a woman is not that important to women.” [Ayotte’s] It's a political persona,” said Linda Fowler, professor emeritus of government at Dartmouth College.
Ayotte and Craig said their gender was not mentioned in the campaign, even though reproductive rights are often at the forefront of their platforms.
Dittmar said that while many voters typically stick to the party they are registered with, women have to go to extra lengths to prove themselves just because they are women, something men avoid. He noted that they often face the additional hurdle of criticism.
New Hampshire was one of only 11 states to hold gubernatorial elections this year. Thirty-six states are scheduled to hold gubernatorial elections in 2026.
with post wire
