If you're not a Democrat, this really doesn't concern you. Ideally, Democratic women should be 50% of Democratic Governors or more. The fact that the Democrats hold about 20 Governorships and not a single one might be female next year is notable and unfortunate. It suggests that there are still some sexist elements in society that hold women back. This is nearly a century after women got the vote, so it's not as if we're making fast progress either. Thanks for posting this, Miles.
As my societal better, I would like to thank you for pointing out what should and should not concern me, not to mention the broad swath of my ideological kinsmen (and women!). :-)
Now, back to the legitimate discussion; the ONLY thing that the statistics i.e. 2 female Dem governors out of 20, tell us is that while more female Democrats may have run for governor in recent cycles, just two made it past their primaries AND the General Election. Unless you can cite open and easily identifiable examples of sexism, that charge is pure bunk. To illustrate, I would point out that areas regularly identified as "bigoted" by the Left (that is to say, the South) have elected women Democrat"ic" (just for you, Miles!) governors just as frequently as have other enlightened (read "Progressive") regions. If a state is willing to elect a female Democratic Senator but does not elect (!) to choose as its chief executive a Democratic woman, charges of sexism and what not may fly but have no discernible basis in reality. Being a Senator is just as important as is being a governor, simply in a different way. My home state of California has elected two female Democratic Senators for two decades now, yet has not seen a Democratic woman come close to winning the governor's mansion (since 1994, nary a single Democratic woman has come close in the primaries). Are we to ponder that California is now sexist? Perhaps Kamala Harris will straighten us out when Jerry leaves office in '14 (assuming that he is finally ready for retirement). Until then, we'll keep the "women need not apply" sign hanging out on Sacto's doorstep.
