Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey.Photo: Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty
There are only nine female governors in the United States currently, and eight of them are running for reelection, meaning the number could fall.
However, this election cycle has five gubernatorial races in which female nominees are running against other women — a record — and that guarantees at least five female governors after this election. In Oregon, three women are vying against each other for the state’s top job: a Democrat, a Republican, and an independent.
An additional half-dozen women are favored to win races against men, and that spells progress, says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
“We’ve been stuck at nine [female governors] for a very long time — we’ve never exceeded the nine,” she says of the stall in progress since 2004. The potential this election for 11 or 12 female governors, filling a possible 24% of overall governor seats, is significant. “It’s not nearly what we want to see. Women make up 51% of the population. But we’re talking about at least breaking through,” she says.
There’s a stereotype about who can be a chief executive, whether it be a governor or the president of the United States. “It’s a very male image with very male traits attached to it,” says Walsh. “People don’t necessarily see the strengths that women bring even though we know, of course, that they do. And they’ve been very successful when they’ve been governors of states.”
Kathy Hochul becomes the first female governor of New York.Hans Pennink-Pool/Getty Images
“There seems to be a differential between executive office and legislative office, and that’s the glass ceiling that I think women are still trying to break,” she says.
Rather than being the ultimate authority, women are seen as collaborators and committee members. “Being the place where the buck stops is still breaking that stereotype, still disrupting some of that image of who can lead — that’s the challenge that women face,” Walsh says.
They are also more likely to be criticized in the media for their clothing choices, their tone and their facial expressions. Walsh said that’s even true for women who are running against other women.
Still, these female contenders are not shying away from being tough campaigners.Katie Hobbs, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Arizona, announced she wouldn’t debate Republican nomineeKari Lake, whom she said is a conspiracy theorist.Tudor Dixon, Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial nominee,called for the state’s schools superintendent to resignfor supporting gender-neutral bathrooms and transgender athletes. Georgia’s Democratic nominee,Stacey Abrams, who could become the first Black female governor in U.S. history,worked for yearsto protect voting rights in Georgia and the country knowing that Black voters were targeted.
They are not saintly. Women participate in negative campaigning and use violent imagery in campaign ads just as the men do, Walsh says.
Kari Lake, Republican candidate for Arizona governor.Caitlin O’Hara/Bloomberg/Getty
While men in elected offices tend to say they sought a career in politics, women tend to enter the arena becausethey want to solve a specific issue.
“Women do bring different policy issues to the forefront,” Walsh says. “If you are looking at policy through that gender lens, you may see something in a piece of legislation that your male counterpart may not see. It might not even have occurred to him. Women are more likely toprioritize issuesthat affect women, families, and children, and look at policy to see what impact it will have on women, families, and children.”
Historically campaign experts have steered female candidates away from talking about personal experiences, especially concerning their own children, because voters may worry that if they’re elected, nobody will be around to take care of the kids. In the past couple of years, women running for office have tossed that norm aside, freely talking about motherhood and family issues. Voters seem to respond, Walsh says.
Women have made great strides in legislative seats, especially among Democrats, but they still hold less than a third of all positions at every level, from the U.S. Senate to municipal offices. While the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate saw arecord cohort of women in 2020— 144 — it was still just 27% of total seats.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
source: people.com
