Current Research
Election 2008 Update
Pennsylvania Women Serving in Elected Office 2007 (State & Federal)
The Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy wants to offer special congratulations to Chatham University alumna Lisa Bennington ’97 on her election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives!
Nationally, 2006 was an historic election year for women. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi will be the first female Speaker of the House, placing her second in the line of succession to the presidency – the closest a woman has ever come to the Oval Office. There were a record number of female candidates nationwide for state and congressional seats, and a record number of women won and will now serve in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. While women made record gains across the nation, the elections in Pennsylvania largely maintained the status quo.
Quick Facts: Women in Pennsylvania Politics
- Pennsylvania ranks 43rd of 50 states in the level of women's political participation & representation (CAWP)
- Only one woman - Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll – currently serves in an elected statewide executive office
- Women in Pennsylvania hold 10 of 50 seats (20%) of the State Senate and 27 of 203 seats (13%) of the State House of Representatives, for a total of 14.6% overall.
- Currently only one woman – Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) - represents Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- No woman has ever represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate and the state has never elected a female Governor.
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