Record 12 women to serve as governors, with notable firsts

By THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A record 12 women will take their seats as their states’ highest-ranking elected officials when the nation’s governors are sworn in this winter. The number tops the 2004 high mark of nine, with the election of Democrat Katie Hobbs in Arizona on Monday as well as Democrat Maura Healy in Massachusetts and Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Arkansas after last week’s election. Eight of the 12 are Democrats, aligning with the trend of more women serving in elected office identifying as Democrats than Republicans in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and state legislatures. Others in the group include newly elected Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, who will be among the first two openly-lesbian governors with Healey in Massachusetts. Kotek is succeeding Gov. Kate Brown.