More women are running for governor in the US in 2018 than ever before, spurred by a Democratic backlash against US President Donald Trump and a whopping 18 states that are on the November ballot but have no incumbent in the race. With some state filing deadlines still ahead, as many as 77 women are expected to run in almost all of the 36 states with a governor’s race this year, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. That would be more than double the record of 34 female candidates in 1994. After all the votes are in, it is possible the number of female governors will meet or exceed the record of nine serving at once, which occurred in 2004 and 2007, said Jennifer Duffy, who tracks gubernatorial elections for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. All four of the incumbent female governors up for re-election this year — in Alabama, Iowa, Oregon and Rhode Island — are favoured to win. Retiring New Mexico governor Susana Martinez, a Republican, ...
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