Lansing, Michigan – With Republican Kelly Ayotte’s election as New Hampshire governor, a historic 13 women will hold gubernatorial positions across the U.S. in 2024, breaking the previous record of 12 set after the 2022 elections.
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Governors wield significant influence over state policies and frequently use the visibility of the office to launch campaigns for national positions. “It matters to have women in those roles to normalize the image of women in political leadership and even more specifically in executive leadership, where they’re the sole leader, not just a member of a team,” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.
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Growing Political Influence of Women Governors
Ayotte, a former U.S. senator, defeated Democratic opponent Joyce Craig, a former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. This victory highlights New Hampshire’s history of electing women to high office. The state previously made history with the nation’s first all-female congressional delegation, and Ayotte will be New Hampshire’s third female governor.
With Ayotte’s inauguration, five Republican women will concurrently serve as governors—a record. The remaining eight female governors are Democrats.
However, there remains an imbalance in representation; 18 states have yet to elect a woman governor. “Thirteen out of 50 is still underrepresentation,” Dittmar remarked, underscoring the ongoing challenges for women in executive roles.
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Gender and the Campaign Trail
During the campaign, both Ayotte and Craig noted that gender wasn’t a prominent issue, although reproductive rights often dominated discussions. Craig criticized Ayotte’s record on abortion rights, while Ayotte pledged to veto any bill that further restricts abortion in New Hampshire, where abortion is banned after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Linda Fowler, professor emerita of government at Dartmouth College, noted that gender is “not really that critical to [Ayotte’s] political persona,” reflecting a broader shift in how women candidates frame their identities in campaigns.
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Women and Executive Leadership
The small increase in female governors comes on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris’s unsuccessful bid to become the first female president. Dittmar commented that while Harris’s race and gender were not solely responsible for the outcome, they influenced how she was perceived by voters and treated by the media and opponents.
Women in executive positions, such as governors and presidents, often contend with entrenched stereotypes, particularly around leadership roles like “commander in chief.” Erin Vilardi, CEO of Vote Run Lead, a group that supports women running for office, noted, “Sexism, racism, misogyny—it’s never the silver bullet. But we have so much of that built into how we see a leader.”
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The Road Ahead for Female Representation
While women are making historic strides in legislative roles and are increasingly seen in leadership positions like speaker and committee chairs, executive offices present unique challenges. Voters are more likely to scrutinize female candidates’ intelligence, appearance, and even personal lives more closely than male candidates, according to experts.
New Hampshire’s gubernatorial race was one of the few highly competitive races among the 11 held this year. With 36 governorships up for election in 2026, the representation of women in executive roles may face further changes—advancements and challenges alike.
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