Photo: Celine Admiraal / Netherlands Embassy / CC BY 2.0
Women are set to hold at least 17 U.S. governorships next year, a record, after Tuesday’s elections brought new faces to state leadership and returned several incumbents to office, NBC News reported.
The previous high was 14 women serving at the same time, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The new total includes governors continuing their terms as well as this year’s winners.
For families and businesses, these governors will help shape state budgets, school funding, health care and public safety. Their victories decide who will lead those debates in state capitals.
Historic firsts in Georgia and Texas
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, defeated Republican Rick Jackson in Georgia. She will become the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state, The Associated Press reported.
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to become the state’s first Latina governor, according to AP.
Deb Haaland’s victory in New Mexico adds another national first. The former interior secretary, a member of Laguna Pueblo, will become the country’s first Native American woman governor, AP reported.
Wins in both parties
Republican winners include Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn, NBC reported. Blackburn will be Tennessee’s first woman governor.
Democratic winners include Amy Acton in Ohio, Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota and Helena Foulkes in Rhode Island. In Maine, Hannah Pingree succeeds Janet Mills; in Michigan, Jocelyn Benson succeeds Gretchen Whitmer. Those results keep women in offices already held by women.
Newsmax reported on the milestone Wednesday morning, citing NBC’s election coverage. The record measures the number of women serving as governor, not a shared policy program: the winners represent different parties and political priorities.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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