vote The appointment of Republican Kelly Ayotte as governor of New Hampshire means 13 women will serve as the state’s chief executive next year, breaking the record of 12 women set after the 2022 election.

Governors wield a powerful influence in American politics, shaping state policy and often using the experience and profile gained to launch campaigns for higher office.

“It is important to have women in these roles to normalize the image of women in political leadership and even more specifically in executive leadership, where women are the sole leaders and not just members of a team,” said research director Kelly Dittmar. at the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was cited as a potential Democratic presidential candidate after President Biden withdrew from the race. Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was considered a candidate President-elect Donald Trump‘s vice president position.

Ayotte, a former U.S. senator, defeated Democratic candidate Joyce Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. New Hampshire was one of the few competitive gubernatorial races among the 11 on the ballot this year.

Yet 18 states have never held a woman in the governor’s office.

“This is another aspect of political leadership where women continue to be underrepresented,” Dittmar said. “13 out of 50 people are still underrepresented.”

With two women running for governor in New Hampshire, a new record for female governors was inevitable. The state has a long history of electing women. As a senator, Ayotte was part of the nation’s first all-female congressional delegation. It also became the first state to simultaneously have a female governor, state Senate president and House speaker, and the first state to have a female majority in the Senate. Ayotte will be the third woman to become governor of the state.

Linda Fowler, professor emeritus of government at Dartmouth College, said of Ayotte: “Being a woman is not that critical to her political persona.”

Both Ayotte and Craig said their genders were not featured prominently during the campaign, even though reproductive rights are often front and center. Craig attacked Ayotte’s record on abortion in his campaign, and both candidates ran TV ads detailing their own miscarriages. Ayotte has said she would veto any bill that would further restrict abortion in New Hampshire, where abortion is illegal after the 24th week of pregnancy.

When Ayotte is sworn in, five Republican women will serve as governor at the same time, a new high. The other eight are Democrats.

States currently led by female governors include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and South Dakota.

New Hampshire was one of the few competitive gubernatorial races among the 11 this year. There may be further progress or setbacks in women’s representation in 2026, when 36 states will elect governors.

Dittmar said most voters tend to cast their votes based on party loyalty and ideology rather than gender. However, she noted that female candidates often face layers of scrutiny that their male counterparts largely avoid, with voters evaluating things like a woman’s intelligence, appearance and even dating history through a sharper lens.

The small gain for women in the governor’s office stems from Vice President Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful bid to become the first female president.

“I can’t tell you that Kamala Harris lost the race because she is a woman, because she is a Black woman and because she is a South Asian woman,” Dittmar said. “We wouldn’t be telling the right story if we didn’t acknowledge how both gender and race shaped the campaign overall and also had a direct impact on how Kamala Harris was viewed by voters. treated by rivals and even in the media and other areas.”

Dittmar said executive roles, especially the presidency with its associations like commander-in-chief, often carry masculine stereotypes that women must work harder to overcome.

Experts say women face these perceptions more acutely in executive races such as governor and president than in state legislatures, where women have made historic strides as leaders, taking on roles such as speaker and committee chair.

“Sexism, racism, misogyny, these are never the magic solution,” said Erin Vilardi, CEO of Vote Run Lead, a left-leaning group that supports women running for state legislatures. “But there is so much more to how we view a leader.”

Associated Press writer Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan, and Govindarao reported from Phoenix. AP writer Holly Ramer in New Hampshire contributed to this report.