Pew: 17 US states never had a woman governor, two soon will

Seventeen US states have never had a woman governor and 15 have never had a woman US senator, according to an analysis published by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, six days before the November 3 midterm elections. Pew says two of those states, Minnesota and Tennessee, are all but certain to elect their first woman governor this year because both major parties have nominated women. Three more nominees, in Georgia, Idaho and Pennsylvania, would also be their state's first woman governor if they win.

The analysis shows that in a third of US states, the top executive job has never been held by a woman. Governors run state budgets, police, schools and health systems, so the post carries real power over daily life and gives its holders executive experience that can lead to national roles.

The 2026 cycle stands out because, in Minnesota and Tennessee, both major parties put forward women, which settles the "first" before a single vote is counted. Minnesota's seat is open because Governor Tim Walz, who had been running for a third term, withdrew in January, according to reports. Lisa Demuth won the Republican primary in August with 43.4% of the vote, defeating Mike Lindell and Kendall Qualls, while Klobuchar, a sitting US senator, took the Democratic nomination. That is a sign of how far women have advanced inside party structures in those states. Elsewhere, the races where a woman could become her state's first governor are competitive, so the overall count of women governors after the election is not yet known.

The approach is useful beyond the United States. Analyses like Pew's, which track not just the share of seats but where women have never held power at all, offer a useful way to measure progress that headline averages can hide.

Short-term: The November 3 results will settle how many of the 17 states without a woman governor lose that distinction this year, with Minnesota and Tennessee certain to do so.

Long-term: More women in governors' offices widens the pool of experienced women leaders for national roles, including future presidential races.

Who is affected: Voters in the states holding governor races, women candidates and the parties that nominate them, and researchers and advocates tracking women's representation in politics.

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