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                   | Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House and other firsts for women - January 4, 2007 - Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House on January 4. In addition to that momentous occasion, there are many other firsts for women in government this year. A record 71 women representatives will serve in the US House and 16 women will serve in the US Senate. Amy Klobuchar became the first women elected to the US Senate from Minnesota and Claire McCaskill is the first woman elected to the US Senate from Missouri. Carol Shea-Porter is the first woman to represent New Hampshire in the US Congress. Plus, according to the Center for American Women in Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, an all-time high of 1,734 women will serve in the state legislatures. In Alaska, women lead all three branches of state government: Sarah Palin became the first woman governor; Dana Fabe began her second term as Chief Justice on the Alaskan Supreme Court; and Lyda Green was elected president of the state Senate. Additionally, Lisa Murkowski represents Alaska in the US Senate. With the re-election of Olympia Snowe, Maine continues to be the first state to have 50-50 representation (50% women and 50% men) in the US Congress, with the two female senators and two male representatives. And, the state of Washington continues to be the first state with women in the top three elected positions: Governor Christine Gregoire and US Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, who was just re-elected.
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© 2009 - Equal Representation
| Equal Representation –The Essence of Democracy Updated 2009-02-14 |