Sanchez is a former intern for RepresentWomen.
I am hopeful for the remainder of 2022.
I hope this line in itself is captivating enough to entice readers to continue; how could one be so optimistic about a year filled with devastating Supreme Court decisions and a series of mass shootings? This may very well be the year of the woman governor – and that is all the reassurance I need to brighten the last few months of the year.
Since America’s birth 246 years ago, only 45 women have served as governor; 42 of whom have been white women and only three being women of color. Today, nine women hold gubernatorial office – six Democrats and three Republicans. Lou Leon Guerrero currently serves as governor in the U.S. territory Guam. Black and Native women have never been elected as governor. Nineteen states have never had a woman governor.
Despite these bleak statistics, RepresentWomen analyzed the upcoming gubernatorial elections and it looks like 2022 could be the year of the woman governor.
Why have we had so few women governors, and why does it matter?
The U.S. electoral system is designed to keep women from holding office. Women have to work much harder than men at convincing donors and the electorate that they are well-equipped for the intricacies of public office. Political action committees and donors also fund women less. Women simply work harder to win, yet do not win as often as men.
Women govern differently than men. Women in public office tend to encourage bipartisanship and be more collaborative. In addition, women having a seat at the table works to promote the idea of their standing in public office and begins a domino effect of more female representation within leadership positions.
Having women address issues that directly affect women is imperative for the future of our democracy. Electing more women into office can bring back a sense of humanity to politics. This is what Americans truly need.
Not only do we celebrate having more women serve in state-level elected office, but we know gender balance in appointed positions is a key ingredient to building women’s political power. RepresentWomen is proud to have released “ Gender Balanced Cabinets: Where We Stand & Why It Matters ” in anticipation of the gubernatorial elections this November. We found that women are not equally present in most state cabinets, but that women governors are more likely to appoint gender balanced cabinets. We call on all 2022 gubernatorial candidates to signal to their communities that they value women’s voices and perspectives by committing to appointing a diverse and gender balanced cabinet.
2022: Year of the Woman Governor
This November the United States will hold gubernatorial elections in 36 states and three territories. Current predictions show some interesting and forward-looking results.
Strong shots:
- All nine of the states with a woman governor are in cycle this year. Seven of the incumbents are likely to win reelection: Republican Kay Ivey of Alabama, Republican Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Democrat Kathy Hochul of New York and Republican Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Democrat Janet Mills of Maine, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
- Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, has fulfilled her term limit and will be replaced by another woman. Democrat Tina Kotek, unaffiliated Betsy Johnson, and Republican Chrstine Drazan are all running, marking the first time in Oregon’s history that the top three candidates for governor are women.
- Either Democrat Katie Hobbs or Republican Kari Lake will win in Arizona.
- Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders has a large lead in Arkansas, just as Democrat Maura Healey does in Massachusetts.
If all those odds hold up, we have 11 women governors. But that’s not all.
Good odds:
- Democrat Laura Kelly has a very good chance of winning reelection in Kansas.
- All eyes are on Georgia, where Democrat Stacey Abrams is making another run.
If either of them win, we should have a new record.
Some long shots – but you never know:
- Colorado has never had a female governor, so history will be made if Republican nominee Heidi Ganahl gains the seat this election.
- In Ohio and Vermont, we have two Democratic nominees running against heavily favored Republican incumbents.
More 2022 women candidates.
Be a part of the solution
The 2022 gubernatorial elections could send a message to the nation that women are leaders in U.S. politics who use their power responsibly and for the betterment of the nation. So, it is imperative that you vote and join us in demanding that your gubernatorial candidates appoint diverse, gender-balanced cabinets.
Check to see if your state is holding a gubernatorial election and make sure you are registered to vote. Use our Appointments Equip Toolkit to access tools that help you be a part of the solution in building women’s political power.
As a Texan, I am looking forward to voting and demanding a gender-balanced cabinet this November! See you all at the polls.
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on August 14, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump is traveling to Long Island to tour law enforcement facilities in Nassau County and rally support for local Republican candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections
Travel Far Enough, You Meet Yourself
Is it possible that our President has simply not traveled enough?
Born and raised in Queens and attending Fordham University in the Bronx, Donald Trump has no record of traveling outside New York until he was over 20, when he transferred to a college in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania. Were his formative years amiss, then, in his learning about other places and other people?
Is his view akin to the famous New Yorker cover by Saul Steinberg, an illustration of the United States with New York City as the epicenter of the country and the Hudson River the border of the known world? We can now at least add Washington, D.C., and Mar-a-Lago to the map of “the realm.”
Our President has now traveled some, but what we recommend is another kind of travel. Not a state-sponsored trip or a venture to scout locations for future Trump Towers. This would be a genuine travel experience, enriching and eye-opening, showcasing other cultures and ways of living.
It will extend far beyond viewing military parades, hobnobbing with such “understanding” world leaders as Kim Jong Un, or taking tea with the King.
WHERE, then, should the President go? As Elon Musk’s Starship spacecraft is not yet ready to take passengers to Mars, perhaps he could explore our own vast country?
Maybe he could travel to “flyover country,” the farming states, where his ying-yanging tariffs and trade restrictions have played havoc with rural economies. Or possibly to California, number one in homeless U. S. citizens, and while there, regale homeless veterans (approximately 32,500 nationwide) with tales of his brave exploits invading and bombing foreign countries.
Or he might tour the Great Lakes, and rename the other four?
WHEN should he go? This will be tough, as he is very busy building his ballroom and renaming bodies of water.
How about a trip in early November, around the midterm elections? Despite the long-discredited accusation of widespread voter fraud, it would be reassuring to know he might be so caught up divvying out ladles of soup in a soup kitchen somewhere that he wouldn’t remember to deploy the military for “election security.”
HOW will he travel? He should definitely not take his Qatari-donated, newly renovated 747, especially after last time, when he had to be smuggled off clandestinely in a catering truck. It’s unlikely any traveling companions, like the Secretary of State or of the Treasury, are going to fall for the ruse a second time. Besides, we may need those people. No more decoys!
Perhaps the President could fly commercially, although this likely would expose him to undue suffering. Without gold bathroom fixtures and maple wood floors, the trip will be no “Luxury Experience.” If only he still had his “Trump Shuttle,” bought with a massive loan he later defaulted on, saying then, “I’m smart. I got out at a good time.”
Considering the potential pitfalls, maybe it’s best the President travel incognito, disguised perhaps as an elderly woman wearing a lot of bronzer.
Wherever, whenever, however: our President needs a vacation.
Moreover, we need a vacation from him.
If the President refuses our travel suggestions, here’s another idea:
Let’s get him a pet! He has never owned a pet. As we know with our children, pets teach essential life lessons: compassion and empathy; they instill a sense of responsibility. There is a well-established connection between those who can care for a pet and those who can care for people.
So, which pet should we choose? A puppy? A kitten? A boa constrictor?
Imagine, the President may even decide he likes having a pet. After all, what is more obedient than a well-trained dog, besides possibly the Cabinet? And what is more docile than a sweet kitten, other than plausibly the Supreme Court?
The President may even become more mellow with a pet afoot and less likely to slap tariffs on our allies, or attempt to annex our neighbors, or bully our Congress. (Realizing, of course, a bully requires active participation from the bullied to maintain his status.)
Maybe we should do both: get the President a pet and devise a travel plan for him. (Do you think we could possibly convince him to leave his phone at home?)
Let’s go for it! After all:
Travel far enough, you meet yourself. (David Mitchell)
And for our President, that would likely be the most profound discovery of all.
Amy Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."