Total count for women statewide elective executive officeholders does not include: officials in appointive state cabinet-level positions; officials elected to executive posts by the legislature; officials elected as commissioners or board members from districts rather than statewide; members of the judicial branch; or elected members of university Boards of Trustees or Boards of Education.
NP = non-partisan
*Women who self-identify as more than one race/ethnicity are included on CAWP pages for each group with which they identify. We strongly caution against adding totals from each racial/ethnic group should, as it will double count officeholders.
Of the 94 current women statewide elective executives:
- 3 identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander
- 6 identify as Black
- 9 identify as Latina
- 1 identifies as Multiracial Alone
- 1 identifies as Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian
- 75 identify as white
Current Statewide Elective Executives by Position
In addition, one woman serves as governor in the U.S. Territories: Lou Leon Guerrero in Guam.
Kate Brown, an Oregon Democrat, became governor in 2015 after the elected governor resigned. She served as secretary of state from 2009 until she became governor. She served in the Oregon House of Representatives and Oregon State Senate, becoming senate majority leader.
Kathy Hochul, a New York Democrat, was lieutenant governor and became governor when the elected governor resigned. She served as U.S. Representative from 2011-2013 and was elected lieutenant governor in 2014.
Kay Ivey, an Alabama Republican, was lieutenant governor and became governor when the elected governor resigned. She was elected state treasurer in 2002 and re-elected in 2006; she won office as lieutenant governor in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014.
Laura Kelly, a Kansas Democrat, was elected to an open seat in 2018. She served as a Kansas State Senator from 2005 until she became governor.
Michelle Lujan Grisham, a New Mexico Democrat, was elected to an open seat in 2018. She served as U.S. Representative from 2013 until she became governor. From 2004-2007 she was the New Mexico Secretary of Health.
Janet Mills, Maine Democrat, was elected to an open seat to become the state’s first woman governor in 2018. She served as Attorney General of Maine from 2009 to 2011 and then 2013 until she became governor.
Kristi Noem, a South Dakota Republican, was elected to an open seat to become the state’s first woman governor in 2018. She served as U.S. Representative from 2011 until she became governor. From 2007-2011 she served in the South Dakota House of Representatives.
Kim Reynolds, an Iowa Republican, was appointed governor in 2017 when the incumbent left office to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China. In 2018, she became the first woman elected as governor in Iowa. She served as lieutenant governor from 2011 until becoming governor. Prior to her election as lieutenant governor, she served in the Iowa State Senate and as Clarke County treasurer.
Gretchen Whitmer, a Michigan Democrat, won an open seat in 2018. She served in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan State Senate, becoming senate minority leader.
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Cano Burkhead | D | 2021-present | Nevada |
| Susan Bysiewicz | D | 2019-present | Connecticut |
| Jacqueline Coleman | D | 2020-present | Kentucky |
| Suzanne Crouch | R | 2017-present | Indiana |
| Pamela Evette | R | 2019-present | South Carolina |
| Peggy Flanagan | D/DFL | 2019-present | Minnesota |
| Molly Gray | D | 2021-present | Vermont |
| Bethany A. Hall-Long | D | 2017-present | Delaware |
| Deidre M. Henderson | R | 2021-present | Utah |
| Kristen Juras | R | 2021-present | Montana |
| Eleni Kounalakis | D | 2019-present | California |
| Sabina Matos | D | 2021-present | Rhode Island |
| Janice K. McGeachin | R | 2019-present | Idaho |
| Jeanette M. Nunez | R | 2019-present | Florida |
| Sheila Y. Oliver | D | 2018-present | New Jersey |
| Karyn E. Polito | R | 2015-present | Massachusetts |
| Dianne I. Primavera | D | 2019-present | Colorado |
| Juliana Stratton | D | 2019-present | Illinois |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn Fitch | R | 2020-present | Mississippi |
| Maura Healey | D | 2015-present | Massachusetts |
| Letitia A. James | D | 2019-present | New York |
| Kathleen Jennings | D | 2019-present | Delaware |
| Ashley Moody | R | 2019-present | Florida |
| Dana Nessel | D | 2019-present | Michigan |
| Ellen F. Rosenblum | D | 2012-present | Oregon |
| Leslie Rutledge | R | 2015-present | Arkansas |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jocelyn Benson | D | 2019-present | Michigan |
| Barbara K. Cegavske | R | 2015-present | Nevada |
| Shemia P. Fagan | D | 2021-present | Oregon |
| Nellie M. Gorbea | D | 2015-present | Rhode Island |
| Jena Griswold | D | 2019-present | Colorado |
| Katie Hobbs | D | 2019-present | Arizona |
| Christi Jacobsen | R | 2021-present | Montana |
| Elaine Folk Marshall | D | 1997-present | North Carolina |
| Denise W. Merrill | D | 2011-2022 | Connecticut |
| Holli Sullivan | R | 2021-present | Indiana |
| Maggie Toulouse Oliver | D | 2016-present | New Mexico |
| Shirley N. Weber | D | 2021-present | California |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allison J. Ball | R | 2016-present | Kentucky |
| Colleen C. Davis | D | 2019-present | Delaware |
| Julie Ellsworth | R | 2019-present | Idaho |
| Stacy L. Garrity | R | 2021-present | Pennsylvania |
| Sarah Godlewski | D | 2019-present | Wisconsin |
| Deborah B. Goldberg | D | 2015-present | Massachusetts |
| Fiona Ma | D | 2019-present | California |
| Kelly M. Mitchell | R | 2015-present | Indiana |
| Elizabeth A. Pearce | D | 2011-present | Vermont |
| Kimberly Yee | R | 2019-present | Arizona |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Blaha | D/DFL | 2019-present | Minnesota |
| Suzanne M. Bump | D | 2011-present | Massachusetts |
| Cindy Byrd | R | 2019-present | Oklahoma |
| Nicole Galloway | D | 2015-present | Missouri |
| Tera K. Klutz | R | 2017-present | Indiana |
| Andrea D. Lea | R | 2015-present | Arkansas |
| Patrice McCarthy | D | 2017-present | Washington |
| Kathleen K. McGuiness | D | 2019-present | Delaware |
| Kristi Racines | R | 2019-present | Wyoming |
| Beth A. Wood | D | 2009-present | North Carolina |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Byrne | D | 2019-present | Nevada |
| Susana A. Mendoza | D | 2017-present | Illinois |
| Betty T. Yee | D | 2015-present | California |
(Note: Title varies from state to state)
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elsie M. Arntzen | R | 2017-present | Montana |
| Kirsten Baesler | NP | 2013-present | North Dakota |
| Jillian Balow | R | 2015-2022 | Wyoming |
| Kathy Hoffman | D | 2019-present | Arizona |
| Joy L. Hofmeister | D | 2021-present | Oklahoma |
| Molly M. Spearman | R | 2015-present | South Carolina |
| Catherine Lauterbach Truitt | R | 2021-present | North Carolina |
| Jill Underly | D | 2021-present | Wisconsin |
| Sherri Ybarra | R | 2015-present | Idaho |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie T. Hoyle | NP | 2019-present | Oregon |
| Leslie K. Osborn | R | 2019-present | Oklahoma |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandra D. Kennedy | D | 2019-present | Arizona |
| Lea Marquez Peterson | R | 2019-present | Arizona |
| Dana L. Murphy | R | 2009-present | Oklahoma |
| Anna M. Tovar | D | 2021-present | Arizona |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twinkle A. Cavanaugh | R | 2011-present | Alabama |
| Julie Fedorchak | R | 2013-present | North Dakota |
| Tricia R. Pridemore | R | 2018-present | Georgia |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristie Fiegen | R | 2011-present | South Dakota |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicole H. Fried | D | 2019-present | Florida |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vicki L. Schmidt | R | 2019-present | Kansas |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christi L. Craddick | R | 2013-present | Texas |
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilary Franz | D | 2017-present | Washington |
| Stephanie Garcia Richard | D | 2019-present | New Mexico |