U.S. voters have elected a record number of women governors in Tuesday’s midterm congressional elections in the United States.
At least eleven women will hold the highest state executive offices, one of the political posts with the lowest representation of women in the United States, reports Bloomberg.
New York and Massachusetts, under Democratic control, and Arkansas, in Republican hands, have elected their first female governors in the history of their states.
Likewise, Alabama, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico and South Dakota have also elected female governors, so that this Tuesday women have won (for now) nine seats in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, Arizona and Oregon have women candidates in the lead in the tight race for governor.
However, the total number could increase to twelve if Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who is leading in the polls, defeats her Republican challenger Derek Schmidt.
Currently, nine women lead states, matching the highest number first established in 2004.
Women’s representation at the highest levels of U.S. politics is traditionally tiny: women account for only 28 percent of legislators in the House and 24 percent in the Senate. Meanwhile, the number of female governors is down to 18 percent.
