Record number of female governors elected in US but count still hovers below quarter mark

Twelve women will hold the highest state executive office after Tuesday’s midterm elections, with Democratic stronghold Massachusetts and Republican-controlled Arkansas picking their first female governors. Women have already won ten races, while Arizona and Oregon, which were too close to call, have female candidates leading.
The tally rose Wednesday after Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly defeated her Republican challenger, Derek Schmidt.
There are currently nine women leading states, matching a record first set in 2004. A new high of 25 women candidates fought for a chance to become governors in 20 states, up from the 16 who ran in 2018.
Representation of women in the highest levels of US politics has been paltry, with females making up only 28% of lawmakers in the House and 24% in the Senate. That’s still larger than the 18% serving as governors, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University before Tuesday.
The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which let states rule on abortion rights, has given added significance to role of women governors.
In New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul won against Republican opponent Lee Zeldin. In Massachusetts, Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey beat GOP candidate Geoffrey Diehl, while Arkansas elected Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, once the press secretary for former President Donald Trump.
Alabama, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, and South Dakota also elected women.
Among the races still undecided Wednesday, Arizona GOP candidate Kari Lake is running against Democrat Katie Hobbs. Chrine Drazan is looking to beat Democrat Tina Kotek in Oregon to become the state’s first GOP governor since the 1980s.