As we celebrate the growing role of women in public life and politics, the question arises as to what is the record of election of women to the two houses of Congress, and to state governorships.
An investigation reveals the following:
All but six states have elected women to the House Of Representatives since 1916, when Montana elected Jeanette Rankin. Those six exceptions are Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Vermont. But Alaska and North Dakota have had women in the US Senate, and Alaska, Delaware, and Vermont have had women governors. In Iowa and Mississippi, the highest elected woman has been a Lieutenant Governor.
Of course, to be fair, one must remember that Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota and Vermont each have had only one member of the House of Representatives, due to the small population of those states, offering only a total of four possibilities for election of a woman in each of those states–one House seat, two Senate seats, and one Governorship.
As far as Iowa and Mississippi, there is no such excuse available!
At the same time, right now, we have two women representing each of the following states in the US Senate–Maine, New Hampshire, California, and Washington State–three Republicans and five Democrats!