Statewide Elective Executive

Current and historical fact sheets, graphics, research reports, and other information about women running for and serving in statewide elective executive office.

  • Women in State Government: Still Too Few

    by Susan J. Carroll
    in The Book of the States, Vol. 48 edited by The Council of State Governments (Lexington, KY: The Council of State Governments, 2016).

    In recent years the movement of women into state-level offices has slowed after several decades of gains. Efforts to actively recruit women for elective and appointive positions will be critical in determining what the future holds for women in state government.

    Article
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidate Recruitment
    Women Political Appointees
    Impact of Women Public Officials
    State Legislature
    Statewide Executive
  • Officeholding in the Fifty States: The Pathways Women of Color Take to Statewide Elective Executive Office

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Book chapter in Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics, edited by Nadia E. Brown and Sarah Allen Gershon (New York: Routledge Press, 2016)

    This chapter investigates the pathways that women of color have taken to statewide elective executive office. Though underrepresented, a sufficient number of minority women have reached statewide executive office to make possible an initial analysis. The traditional scholarly focus on either race alone or gender alone has often obscured the situation of women of color. Yet, previous scholarship has shown that minority women’s access to office and pathways into office often differ from their male and White female counterparts. The chapter shows the gains of women of color, identifies patterns in their pathways to office, and explores the

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Statewide Executive
  • Voices. Votes. Leadership. The Status of Black Women in American Politics 2015

    By the Center for American Women and Politics for Higher Heights Leadership Fund, 2015
    Authored by Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D, Assistant Research Professor, Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University


    This comprehensive report provides a historical outline of Black women’s struggle for political representation. It discusses the current landscape of political leadership for Black women across the country and across levels of office, their growing political influence, and the outlook for Black women's participation in the 2016 elections. It demonstrates the need for greater engagement, recruitment, and inclusion of Black women in politics and government.

    Report
    Research
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
    Local
  • Why Not a Woman of Color?: The Candidacies of US Women of Color for Statewide Executive Office

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Oxford University Press (September 2015) 

    This review essay focuses on the intersection of gender and race in statewide executive officeholding. The author argues that scholarly neglect of this topic risks naturalizing the dearth of women of color in statewide executive positions, sending the message that it is understandable that women lack access to those offices and/or that such offices aren’t realistically obtainable. Using data from the Center for American Women and Politics, the author examines the status of women of color in statewide offices and state and party patterns in their presence as candidates and officeholders. Directions for future research are suggested. 

    Article
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Statewide Executive
  • The Status of Black Women in American Politics 2014

    By the Center for American Women and Politics for Higher Heights Leadership Fund, 2014
    Authored by Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D, Assistant Research Professor, Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University

    This comprehensive report provides a historical outline of black women’s struggle for political representation and discusses the current landscape of political leadership for black women across the country as well as their growing political influence. It demonstrates the need for greater engagement, recruitment, and inclusion of black women in politics and government.

    Report
    Research
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    State Legislature
    Local
    Statewide Executive
    Congress
  • Women’s Election to Office in the Fifty States: Opportunities and Challenges

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Book chapter in Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics,
    Eds. Susan J. Carroll, CAWP, Rutgers University and Richard L. Fox, Union College, New York
    Cambridge University Press, 2013 Third Edition, pp. 265-287.

    Discussion of the barriers and opportunities women face in seeking state legislative and statewide executive office and the differences across states in women's officeholding. Party is a key factor in understanding women's candidacies and women's representation. 

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Political Parties
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
    State Legislature
    Statewide Executive
  • Women Governors in 2014: Electoral Outlook and Historical Context

    by Kelly Dittmar
    11/11/13

    The prospects for electing more women governors will be considerably brighter in 2014 than was the case in 2013, according to a new research brief from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). In this edition of "A Closer Look," CAWP reports that with 36 gubernatorial races across the country, 28 women in 19 states have already indicated that they are likely candidates. In contrast, with just two gubernatorial races in 2013, the lone woman candidate was soundly defeated in New Jersey. The brief highlights key races, sets the 2014 elections in the context of past records for women candidates, and outlines the potential impact of

    Fact Sheet
    Research
    A Closer Look
    Statewide Executive
  • The Candidacies of U.S. Women of Color for Statewide Executive Office

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Paper presented at the American Political Science Association annual meeting, Chicago, IL

    Drawing on insights from gender, race, and intersectionality research, Sanbonmatsu examines the status of women of color and analyzes the role of parties in shaping their candidacies for statewide elective executive office. While women of color have made important inroads with respect to statewide officeholding, they remain underrepresented as candidates and officeholders in both parties.
     

    Conference Paper
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Statewide Executive
  • Women in State Government: Historical Patterns, Recent Trends, Future Prospects

    by Susan J. Carroll 
    Chapter in The Book of the States, edited by The Council of State Governments, 2013

    The movement of women into state-level offices has slowed in recent years after several decades of gains, and following the 2012 elections, the numbers of women in both state legislative and executive branch offices increased only slightly. Efforts to actively recruit women for elected and appointed positions will be critical in determining what the future holds for women in state government.

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    State Legislature
    Statewide Executive
  • Turning the Tables: Behind Every Successful Woman

    by Kelly Dittmar
    Book chapter in Women and Executive Office: Pathways and Performance, ed. Melody Rose, Lynne Reiner Publishers

    This chapter analyzes the 2008 Democratic presidential primary to consider the ways in which a male spouse challenges a female candidate’s image as a capable and independent executive.  Dittmar examines the media’s framing of both male and female spouses on the campaign trail and analyzes the extent to which coverage reflects a transgendering, or equal gender valuing, of candidate spouses’ roles. She finds a combination of spousal role evolution and constraint in media frames, simultaneously empowering presidential spouses while attributing greater gender power to the masculine partner – whether candidate or spouse. 

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Statewide Executive