For female politicians, the 2010 election brought mixed results. On Tuesday, voters in three states elected female governors: Susana Martinez (R-NM); Mary Fallin (R-OK); Nikki Haley (R-SC). Martinez, a Latina, and Haley, an Indian-American, are the first two women of color to serve as governors, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University.
After they take office, these women will bring the number of female governors to six, four of whom are Republicans.
Meanwhile, the record for the largest number of female governors serving simultaneously is nine in 2004 and again in 2007, according to CAWP, a research organization focused on women's participation in politics.
In Congress, the number of women in power may remain constant or dip slightly. Depending on the outcome of contested races in Alaska and Washington, the U.S. Senate will, at most, maintain its number of female members at 17. When members of the U.S. House of Representatives take their seats in January, there will be between 70 and 74 female members. There are currently 73 female members of the 435-member body, according to CAWP's tallies.
Mirroring the national trend after a rancorous election, female Republican candidates performed better than women Democratic candidates.
