DCNOW Congratulates Women Who Made History in Recent Elections

By: Miriam Edelman

Some women made history in state and local government due to elections of November 2025. They can inspire generations. As Virginia’s soon-to-be first female Governor Abigail Spanberger said in her victory speech:

“just a few minutes ago, Adam said to our daughters, your mom's going to be the governor of Virginia, and I can guarantee those words have never been spoken in Virginia ever before. It's a big deal that the girls and the young women I have met along the campaign trail now know with certainty that they can achieve anything. It's a big deal to the women older than I am, who forged the path in dreams, hard work, and in a belief that change in progress would be possible so that so many of us could follow in their footsteps, in any career, in any role, in any challenge.”

Governors

As a result of the November 2025 elections, a record 14 women will be Governor at the same time. The current record of 13 female Governors was set in 2025. In 2025, Bethany Hall-Long, a Democrat, was Governor from January 7^th through 21st after Governor John Carney, a Democrat, resigned to be the Mayor of Wilmington. In addition, there will be the highest number of Democratic women governors (ten). Almost half of the Democratic Governors will be female.

The number of female Governors is important, as governors shape policy in states and sometimes are elected to be the U.S. President. Kelly Ditmar of the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics said, “It matters to have women in those roles to normalize the image of women in political leadership and even more specifically in executive leadership, where they’re the sole leader, not just a member of a team.”

Both of the nation’s gubernatorial elections were history-making. Spanberger, a Democrat will be the first female governor of Virginia, and Mikie Sherrill became the first Democratic female to be elected New Jersey’s governor. Sherrill will also be the first Governor in American history to be a female military veteran. No matter who won in Virginia, Virginia was set to have its first female governor, as Spanberger’s Republican opponent was Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.

Spanberger and Sherrill are friends. In 2018, both Spanberger and Sherrill, who had backgrounds in national security, were elected in Republican-held seats to become Representatives. Spanberger and Sherrill lived together on Capitol Hill. In Congress, they joined others to form the “Mod Squad,” a centrist contrast to the progressive “Squad.”

Other State-Level Offices

In Virginia, Ghazala Hashmi, a Democrat, won the lieutenant governor’s election, becoming the first Muslim female to be elected statewide in U.S. history. She also became the first Indian-American to be elected statewide in Virginia. Hashmi also will be Virginia’s first Asian American Lieutenant Governor and first Democratic woman in that role. In 2019, Hashmi had made history when she was elected to Virginia’s state senate, where she became its first Muslim and Indian American member. The Trump Administration’s Muslim ban had motivated Hashmi to run for office.

Alicia Johnson, a Democrat, won a special election to be on the Public Service Commission in Georgia. She will be the first African-American female to serve in statewide elective office in the state.

Mayors

Females also made history in four mayoral elections. In Detroit, Michigan, Mary Sheffield, a Democrat, won and will become the city’s first female mayor. Kaohley Her, a Democrat, will be the first woman mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. She also will be the first person of Hmong lineage to be St. Paul’s Mayor. She defeated incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter, for whom she had worked.  Her will work with an all-female St. Paul City Council. Sharon Owens, a Democrat, will be the first African-American Mayor of Syracuse, New York. Dorcy Applyrs was elected to be the first African-American Mayor of Albany, New York.

Final Thoughts

In the future, a female will break the ultimate glass ceiling and become the U.S.’s first female President. Who will it be? Is she in office now?