Will Texans select another woman governor?

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(Texas News Service)
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It’s been more than 100 years since Texas saw a woman first hold the governor’s seat, and another first is possible this fall.

In 1924, Miriam “Ma” Ferguson replaced her husband after he was impeached. Ann Richards won the seat in 1990 to become the state’s second woman governor.

Wendy Davis ran and lost in 2013, and when Texans go to the polls in November, they’ll have the option to cast their vote for another woman.

State Representative Gina Hinojosa, the first Hispanic to run for governor, is challenging incumbent Greg Abbott.

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Southern Methodist University political science professor Matthew Wilson said this election could change Texas history.

“The governorship is a prize that has heretofore been reserved for Anglo candidates. And so a breakthrough at that level could serve as a real watershed for the Hispanic community,” Wilson said.

There are 61 women serving in the Texas Legislature.

Meanwhile, a record high 14 women are serving as governors across the country. Twenty-seven women, including six incumbents, are on the ballot this year.

During Ann Richards’ tenure, more women and minorities were appointed to administrative positions than in previous years.

Richards broke the gender barrier, and Wilson said if Hinojosa is successful, it will be a sign of the changing demographics of the state.

“That would bring representation at the highest level of government to a very large constituency in the Texas population that feels like it has been underrepresented politically in the past,” Wilson said.

Hinojosa is serving her first term as a Texas lawmaker.

She and Abbott are close in the polls and remain within the margin of error. Democrats in Texas have not won a statewide race since 1994.