DES MOINES, Iowa -- Women on both sides of the aisle are applauding the advancement of women in office. Until 20-14. Iowa was one of only two states that had not elected a woman to Congress or to serve as governor. Now Iowa is among 20 states that can cross both of those positions off the list.
Currently, Iowa republicans have a trifecta of women’s history. U.S Senator Joni Ernst, Speaker of the House Linda Upmeyer and Governor Kim Reynolds are the first females to hold their office.
Now, Governor Reynolds joins the list of five other women who currently are serving as governors across the nation however there are are handful of states who has had a female governor in the past plus several others who have never had a woman in the governor's office.
Non – partisan organizations like “50 - 50 in 2020” says the Governor’s swearing in ceremony marks a historical day in Iowa despite her not being elected to the position. The organization co – founder, Maggie Tinsman says, “Our daughters will see the face of a women in the governor’s office and realize that one day they, too, could be there.” The group’s mission is to achieve gender equality in Iowa by 2020, the 100th anniversary of the year American women acquired to vote.
The first female governor in U.S. history was Nellie Taylor Ross of Wyoming. She took office in 1925 just five years after women earned the right to vote. Meanwhile, Arizona is the state with the most women to take over the governor’s office, with a total of four.