Women are likely to win five of the six statewide executive positions in Massachusetts after last night’s primaries.
Why it matters: Massachusetts is poised to become the first state with a female governor and lieutenant governor serving simultaneously.
What we’re watching: Attorney General Maura Healey (D) won the Democratic nomination for governor. If successful in November, she’ll be the the first female elected governor of Massachusetts.
- Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll (D) won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, while former state Rep. Leah Cole Allen won the Republican nomination.
- Former Boston City Councilwoman Andrea Campbell (D) won the Democratic nomination in the open-seat contest for attorney general.
- Massachusetts State Senator Diana DiZoglio (D) won the Democratic nomination for state auditor.
- Deb Goldberg, the state treasurer, is running unopposed for reelection.
- Rayla Campbell (R) was unopposed for the Republican nomination the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Secretary of State William Francis Galvin (D).
The intrigue: Voters in three other states — Republicans in Arkansas and Democrats in Oklahoma and Ohio — nominated women for governor and lieutenant this year, according to Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP).
- Women currently hold three of the four statewide executive positions in Michigan.
Flashback: Michelle Wu was elected as Boston’s first woman mayor last year and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) became the first woman from Massachusetts to serve in the U.S. Senate when she was elected in 2012.
What they’re saying: “While this is not entirely new, it’s definitely notable. Not only are they a high percentage of nominees but they are also in contests where they are favored to win. It’s a point of progress,” CAWP director of research Kelly Dittmar told Axios.
- “Massachusetts is breaking a lot of barriers and it’s great to see,” Christina Reynolds, VP of communications at Emily’s List, told Axios.
- “I think it will provide a great example for women considering running and also for voters to remind them that women are absolutely great leaders.”