23:20 24/08/2021
A historic number of women are currently leading American states, after Kathy Hochul officially took office today as Governor of New York. This development is seen as a push toward equality and representation that could continue until next year's congressional elections, which coincide with the president's midterms.
There are now nine women serving as governors in the US. This equals a record that was set in 2004 and is in line with what was observed in 2007 and 2019, but still falls short, from a gender perspective.
Taking over on Tuesday after her predecessor resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, Ms. Hochul faces plenty of challenges for a new administration, but she also has a historic opportunity: Hochul is the first woman in one of most important positions in the United States.
"New York as a whole has been a difficult place for women to rise to the top because of who controls it," says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center on American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. .
"And unfortunately even in 2021 women are still seen as novices," she says.
A century after women won the right to vote, 19 states have never been led by a woman. Among them, the most densely populated states such as California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Even if next month's election in California to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom is successful, it seems unlikely that it will lead to the election of a woman to the state's top office.
Ms. Hochul served as lieutenant governor of New York until the resignation of her fellow Democrat, Andrew Cuomo, who left the post after a decade in power. Mr. Cuomo faced the possibility of impeachment from the legislature after an investigation by the attorney general's office concluded that he had sexually harassed 11 women. Among other things, Mr. Cuomo was also facing an investigation, also by the Legislature, into whether he had lied to the public last year about the number of deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes.
Ms. Hochul has already announced her intention to run for a full four-year term during next year's election.
Next year could be a pivotal year for women running for governor. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon will be the only female incumbent who will not be able to run for re-election due to term limits. Six male governors will also face term limits, opening the way for new candidates from both parties.
In Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey cannot run again, there are already several female candidates in the race, including Republican State Treasurer Kimberly Yee and Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Arizona holds the record for the most women serving as governor, with four in total, followed by the state of Kansas with three.
Arkansas, a state that has never had a woman governor, has a strong Republican primary race, with Attorney General Leslie Rutledge running against Sarah Sanders, President Trump's former press secretary and the former governor's daughter. Mike Huckabee. Incumbent Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson's term is coming to an end.
In 2018, political supporters of women thought they were primed for success after a record number of gubernatorial candidates. But this did not translate as such into the final result.
Women currently hold 18% of governorships, well short of new records set this year for the number of women in the US Congress of 27%, as well as seats in state legislatures of 31%. In addition to them, this year Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman in this position in the country's history.
Part of the challenge in electing women as governors is overcoming stereotypes that see men as stronger and more determined leaders, Ms. Walsh says.
Another challenge is deepening the pool of women willing to enter politics, says Wendy Doyle, president and chief executive of the Missouri-based nonprofit United WE, an organization that works to empower women.
The organization is coordinating an effort to get more women to run for positions such as state, county and city boards. To achieve this goal, local officials in California, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington are working. The intention is that certain women in these positions manage to run for the highest official position of the state.
"It will take time", says Doyle. "But we must pave the way to the goal", she adds./VOA
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