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Penn State professor says female governors have better chance at becoming president
Web site: http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/anotherview/all-yv_gutgold0121.7154536jan25,0,1316435.storyPenn State professor says female governors have better chance at becoming president
January 25, 2010
Why don't more women governors become presidential candidates? Whether you supported her or not, Sarah Palin's executive experience as governor of Alaska was more than John McCain, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton could claim.
Most often, governors are elected president. Barbara Lee, president of the Barbara Lee Foundation, created a guide, ''Keys to the Governor's Office,'' to help women running for governor. At first, her interest was focused on women and the presidency, but she notes that ''as I understood more about the paths to power, it was clear that electing a woman president would become a reality only after we unraveled voters' complex reactions to a woman seeking full executive authority.''
Marie Wilson, president of The White House Project, also notes the importance of the role of governor to increase women's participation on the national stage. ''Look at governors from large states,'' she told me when contemplating who may win the presidency.
Brenda DeVore Marshall and Molly A. Mayhead, editors of ''Navigating Boundaries: The Rhetoric of Women Governors,'' note, ''the increasing importance of the state governor throughout the history of the country, coupled with women's steadily expanding role in the office, demonstrates that the face of leadership has changed. It also indicated that examining the women who are governors in America would be a good place to start when identifying women most likely to make successful bids for the presidency. But that doesn't seem to be the case and it begs the question: 'Why don't more women governors run for
president?' ''
Currently, there are six women governors. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan is disqualified from the U.S. presidency because of her Canadian birth. Still, of the five women governors eligible for the presidency, rarely do we hear of them as contenders. They include Linda Lingle, Republican of Hawaii, who like Democrat Chris Gregoire has won two terms and enjoys high approval ratings. M. Jodi Rell, Republican governor of Connecticut, has announced her retirement. Other governors include the newly elected Beverly Perdue, Democrat of North Carolina, and Jan Brewer, who as secretary of state of Arizona was next in line to succeed Janet Napolitano when she became Secretary of Homeland Security. Though a small cadre, it begs the questions: Why are the names of these women not included when presidential politics are discussed? And how can we elect more women governors?
Is the rough media treatment of women candidates a deterrent? Are women who would otherwise plunge into presidential politics thinking twice when they consider the sexist media treatment of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin? As we turn the page from the 2008 election ever forward, we should keep our eyes on governorships to consider viable women presidential candidates. The governors who complete their terms and lead with innovation and insight, male or female, are in the pool of those most likely to become president. This is especially true for women because we need stronger leadership credentials to break through the glass ceiling.
From a communication perspective, the governorship allows political candidates to stay somewhat above the daily rough and tumble of partisan politics that so often makes senators less attractive presidential contenders. A governor stands alone in her state to lead and serve as a spokesperson for all the state's people, much like a president serves the nation. As governor, a politician showcases more idealistic values rather than engaging in the pragmatism of enacting legislative complexities.
Governorships are the surest paths to the presidency. When we elect more women governors and more women governors become presidential candidates, then a woman president will be more likely.
Nichola D. Gutgold is associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley and author of ''Almost Madam President: Why Hillary Clinton 'Won' in 2008.''
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