Women in Statewide Elective Executive Office 2021

Current Statewide Elective Executive
94
(53D, 39R, 2NP)
30.3% of 310 seats

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

Statewide Elective Executives by Race and Ethnicity

*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

Governor
9
(6D, 3R)

In addition, one woman serves as governor in the U.S. Territories: Lou Leon Guerrero in Guam.

More information on the history of women governors

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.

Lieutenant Governor
18
(11D, 7R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Lisa Cano Burkhead D 2021-2022 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 2021-2022 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 2019-2022 Idaho
Jeanette M. Nunez R 2019-present Florida
Sheila Y. Oliver D 2018-2023 New Jersey
Karyn E. Polito R 2015-2022 Massachusetts
Dianne I. Primavera D 2019-present Colorado
Juliana Stratton D 2019-present Illinois
Attorney General
8
(5D, 3R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Lynn Fitch R 2020-present Mississippi
Maura Healey D 2015-2022 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 2015-2022 Arkansas
Secretary of State
12
(9D, 3R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Jocelyn Benson D 2019-present Michigan
Barbara K. Cegavske R 2015-2022 Nevada
Shemia P. Fagan D 2021-2023 Oregon
Nellie M. Gorbea D 2015-2022 Rhode Island
Jena Griswold D 2019-present Colorado
Katie Hobbs D 2019-2022 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 2021-2022 Indiana
Maggie Toulouse Oliver D 2016-present New Mexico
Shirley N. Weber D 2021-present California
State Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer
10
(5D, 5R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Allison J. Ball R 2016-2023 Kentucky
Colleen C. Davis D 2019-present Delaware
Julie Ellsworth R 2019-present Idaho
Stacy L. Garrity R 2021-present Pennsylvania
Sarah Godlewski D 2019-2022 Wisconsin
Deborah B. Goldberg D 2015-present Massachusetts
Fiona Ma D 2019-present California
Kelly M. Mitchell R 2015-2022 Indiana
Elizabeth A. Pearce D 2011-2022 Vermont
Kimberly Yee R 2019-present Arizona
State Auditor
10
(6D, 4R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Julie Blaha D/DFL 2019-present Minnesota
Suzanne M. Bump D 2011-2022 Massachusetts
Cindy Byrd R 2019-present Oklahoma
Nicole Galloway D 2015-2022 Missouri
Tera K. Klutz R 2017-2023 Indiana
Andrea D. Lea R 2015-2022 Arkansas
Patrice McCarthy D 2017-present Washington
Kathleen K. McGuiness D 2019-2022 Delaware
Kristi Racines R 2019-present Wyoming
Beth A. Wood D 2009-2023 North Carolina
State Comptroller/Controller
3
(3D)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Catherine Byrne D 2019-2022 Nevada
Susana A. Mendoza D 2017-present Illinois
Betty T. Yee D 2015-2022 California
Superintendent of Public Instruction
9
(3D, 5R, 1NP)

(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 2019-2022 Arizona
Joy L. Hofmeister D 2021-2022 Oklahoma
Molly M. Spearman R 2015-2022 South Carolina
Catherine Lauterbach Truitt R 2021-present North Carolina
Jill Underly D 2021-present Wisconsin
Sherri Ybarra R 2015-2022 Idaho
Commissioner of Labor
2
(1R, 1NP)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Val Hoyle NP 2019-2022 Oregon
Leslie K. Osborn R 2019-present Oklahoma
Corporation Commissioner
4
(2D, 2R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Sandra D. Kennedy D 2019-2022 Arizona
Lea Marquez Peterson R 2019-present Arizona
Dana L. Murphy R 2009-2022 Oklahoma
Anna M. Tovar D 2021-present Arizona
Public Service Commissioner
3
(3R)
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
Public Utilities Commissioner
1
(1R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Kristie Fiegen R 2011-present South Dakota
Agriculture Commissioner
1
(1D)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Nicole H. Fried D 2019-2022 Florida
Insurance Commissioner
1
(1R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Vicki L. Schmidt R 2019-present Kansas
Railroad Commissioner
1
(1R)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Christi L. Craddick R 2013-present Texas
Commissioner of Public Lands
2
(2D)
Name Party Year(s) Served State
Hilary Franz D 2017-present Washington
Stephanie Garcia Richard D 2019-present New Mexico