With the election of former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) as governor of New Hampshire, 13 women will serve as secretary of state next year, surpassing the record of 12 women set after the 2022 election. Will update.
Governors have a powerful influence in American politics, shaping state policy and often using the experience and name recognition they gain to launch campaigns for high office.
“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.” Research Director said Kelly Dittmar. At the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer had emerged as the Democratic presidential candidate after President Biden withdrew from the race. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (Republican) was considered a candidate for President-elect Trump's vice presidential post.
Ayotte defeated Democratic candidate Joyce Craig, a former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city. Still, 18 states have never had a woman in the governor's office.
“This is another aspect of political leadership where women continue to be underrepresented,” Dittmar said. “13 out of 50 is still an underestimate.”
With two women vying for governor in New Hampshire, a new record for female governors was inevitable. The state has a long history of electing women.
As a senator, Ms. Ayotte was part of the nation's first all-female Congressional delegation. It is also the first state to have a female governor, state Senate president, and House speaker, and the first state to have a female majority in the state Senate. She becomes the state's third female governor.
“Being a woman is not that important to her political persona,” Linda Fowler, professor emeritus of government at Dartmouth College, said of Ayotte.
Both Ayotte and Craig said their gender was never brought up in their campaigns, even though reproductive rights are often at the forefront.
Mr. Craig attacked Mr. Ayotte's abortion record on the campaign trail, and both candidates released television ads detailing their own miscarriages. The former Republican lawmaker said he would veto any bill that would further restrict abortions in New Hampshire, where abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy are illegal.
When Ayotte takes office, five Republican women will serve as governor at the same time, which would also be a record. The remaining eight are Democrats.
New Hampshire was one of the few competitive gubernatorial races out of 11 this year. In 2026, when 36 states elect their governors, there could be further advances or setbacks in women's representation.
Dittmar said most voters tend to vote based on party loyalty and ideology rather than gender. But women candidates often face layers of scrutiny that male candidates largely avoid, and voters judge women through a sharper lens, including their intelligence, looks and even their relationship history, he said. pointed out.
Vice President Harris' unsuccessful effort to become the first female president has resulted in a small increase in the number of women in the governor's office. The White House campaign convened in the early hours of Wednesday to elect President-elect Trump.
“I'm not saying Kamala Harris lost the race because she's a woman, because she's a Black and South Asian woman,” Dittmer said. “Also, how both gender and race are shaping the campaign as a whole, and how Kamala Harris is rated by voters, treated by her opponents, and in the media and other spaces. ”
Dittmar added that there are masculine stereotypes in executive roles, especially presidential positions like commander-in-chief, which women must work harder to overcome.
Experts say women face this perception more acutely in executive elections such as governor and president than in state legislatures, where women have made historic strides in leadership and hold roles such as chairs and committee chairs. point out that
“Sexism, racism, misogyny, it's never a silver bullet. It's never a reason for some voters to take action,” said Vote Run Read, a left-wing group that supports women running for state legislatures. CEO Erin Vilardi said. “But a lot of that is built into how we view our leaders.”
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Vollmert reported from Lansing, Michigan, and Govinda Rao reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in New Hampshire contributed to this report.
