Knocking on statehouse doors

Voters have the chance to elect a record number of female governors this year, the result of big strides women have made in state-level politics combined with a remarkably large number of open gubernatorial seats.

Advocates hope to see the number of women governors rise from five now to as many as 10. At least 18 women from the major parties are now running, including a half-dozen who will face primary voters on Sept. 10 alone.

"It's the emerging of women as executive leaders," said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster working on campaigns in Alaska and Arizona. "It's really been 10 years in the process, of women being in office, building their resumes."

So far, women have won major-party nominations in Arkansas, Kansas and Michigan, and strong candidates are running in Alaska, Arizona, Maryland and more. In Hawaii, both parties' front-runners are women. Three of the five sitting women governors aren't seeking re-election.

Experienced candidates

Political scientists say there have been more candidates before -- some 34 women filed as major-party gubernatorial candidates in 1994 -- but this year there are more experienced candidates with a real chance to win. Many other women are running as independents or third-party candidates.

Already, some women have had notable success. Jennifer Granholm, Michigan's attorney general, defeated two well-known male politicians for that state's Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Linda Lingle, the former mayor of Maui, is leading the polls for a shot to be the first female governor of Hawaii and the first Republican since 1962.

Two candidates already have national names -- Janet Reno, seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Maryland's lieutenant governor.

"It's important to remember that for all of these women, it didn't happen in a year," said Deborah Walsh, director of the Center for the American Woman and Politics at Rutgers University. "It took 30 years of running and winning and losing to get to this point."

Also, Walsh points out, with 36 governors' seats up for election -- 17 of them open -- if a large number of women didn't run, it would be a real blow as women make progress in gaining other state offices.

In 1971, for instance, 324 of the nation's state legislators, or 4.5 percent, were women. Last year, women held 1,680 seats, or 22.6 percent.

Tougher scrutiny

Women say they still get tougher scrutiny than men -- about their family, and their stance on crime -- but they're gaining in the push for equality.

"I certainly get questions about my children, questions my opponents would never get. I'm not complaining about that," said Granholm, a former federal prosecutor. "Everyone's raised with certain images of women. It takes a long time to rewrite the script."

Women candidates note they have advantages over men on some issues. For example, the corporate finance and responsibility scandals play to their strengths, they said, and against old-boy politics and back-room dealing.

Lengthy resumes also help answer doubts about women candidates.

Kathleen Sebelius, the Democratic nominee in Kansas, spent seven years as insurance commissioner and eight years in the state Legislature. Arizona's Democratic front-runner, Janet Napolitano, spent five years as the state's U.S. attorney and four years as state attorney general.

"We've come of age," said state Sen. Bev Hollingworth, a candidate for New Hampshire's Democratic nomination and a longtime legislative leader.