Who Could Be the First Female President?

By: Miriam Edelman

Have you ever thought about who could be the U.S.’s first Female President? This piece focuses on traits of potential female Presidents rather than discussing particular women who could become President.

Governor and/or Senator

Two-thirds (30 of 45) people who have been President were Governor, Senator, or both. Thus, it is likely that the first female President will also have had one or both of those major government positions.

However, even if a woman Presidential candidate is highly qualified to be President, that woman could still lose the presidency. For example, although Hillary Clinton had been First Lady of the U.S., a U.S. Senator, and the U.S. Secretary of State, she still lost the presidency. As former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said:

“Hillary Clinton was the best-qualified person to be president at that time.”

“She was better qualified than her husband. She was better qualified than Barack Obama — and he says that. She was better qualified than George W. Bush.”

However, Pelosi also remarked regarding the insufficiency of just being deserving:

 “Nobody wants to know what you have done.”

“Nobody gets elected because they deserve it. They get elected for what they’re going to do.”

Despite Pelosi’s points, having been a Senator, Governor, or both could be extremely beneficial to female Presidential candidates. Although President Donald Trump did not hold any elected office until he became President, many others, especially women, may not be able to do the same. Deborah Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers, said “Women have to prove their qualifications more than men do.”

Not Being a National Figure

Although a successful woman presidential candidate should be qualified, being extremely well-known could be a detriment. Candidates’ lack of prominence decreases negative opinions, increases the candidates’ ability to define oneself, and makes it easier for a candidate to run as a change candidate.

Hillary Clinton’s prominence in the public eye for many years before running for the Presidency may have stymied her presidential bids. Republicans’ criticism against her for years resonated with voters. In 2016, her 52-percent unfavorable “Final PreElection Scalometer” Rating score was the second-worst in the history of presidential polling. At the time, she was one of just two major-party Presidential nominees in history to have an unfavorable rate of more than 50 percent.

An “outsider” candidate coming from relative obscurity to the Presidency in a few years would not be new. Both Governors Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were not major national figures before becoming President.

National Security Background

As the President is Commander in Chief and the nation’s Chief Diplomat, it is essential that Presidents show that they can handle military and foreign affairs. A successful woman presidential candidate could show “strength and toughness,” which are important for executive roles. Women may be at a disadvantage because even though women are trusted more on women’s equality and family-related issues, men are trusted more on “economy, security, and global affairs.”

To counterbalance traditional views of strengths of men and women, a female President could have a strong national security background. This background could come in the form of service in the U.S. military, national security/law enforcement professions (such as Cabinet Secretary), and Chair or Ranking Member of national security/foreign affairs Congressional Committee.

Political Party

The first female President very well could be a Republican. As Americans traditionally trust Republicans more than Democrats on national security, a Republican female Presidential candidate could be seen as strong and tough. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) remarked, “Fair or not, I think that Republican women are seen as stronger on national defense.”

In late 2024, former President Bill Clinton suggested that the U.S. has a greater chance of electing a female President if the candidate is a Republican. He said, “I think it would probably be easier for a conservative Republican woman to win.” He also remarked, “Ideologically, the people who are most likely to be against women are most likely to be conservative, so when people agree with you, it’s easier to be for them.” Days later, U.S. Senator Lindsy Graham (R-SC) agreed. He said, “Are there women out there, governors, Republican, Democrat, that can be the next president of the United States? Absolutely,” He added, “If you have a Republican female nominee, they would have a good shot of being the first woman president.”

Meanwhile, Democrats may have anxiety about nominating a female for President in the near future, after its only female Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton (2016) and Kamala Harris (2024) both lost. Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, said “probably there’s too much PTSD, and people will want something that feels very safe.” The Democrats could nominate a male for President in 2028, as they nominated Joe Biden for President in 2020 after Hillary Clinton lost.

Conservative and women have a history of breaking major political executive glass ceilings. The United Kingdom’s three female Prime Ministers have all been from the Conservative party. However, the female Prime Ministers of Australia and Israel all have been from the Labor party (and thus on the liberal side).

Married with Children

The first female President is likely to be married with children. The only President to never have been married is James Buchanan, who was President from 1857-1861. When Grover Cleveland became President in 1885, he was a bachelor. However, in 1886, when he was President, he got married. Meanwhile, 40 Presidents have had biological children, and three of the five who did not have biological children had at least one stepchild or unofficially adopted child. The last President to not have had any children is Buchanan.

Final Thoughts

In the future, the U.S. will likely have a female President. As many other political glass ceilings have been broken in the U.S., it seems inevitable that the biggest one, the presidency, will also fall.

What will the first female President’s background be? Do not be surprised if the U.S.’s first female President is a Governor and/or Senator with significant national security/foreign affairs experience and a spouse with children.