Texas Women Poised to Hold State's Top Three Offices for the First Time; Thompson Has Votes for Speaker
Texas is set for a historic first: women are poised to hold the state's top three government posts at the same time. State Representative Senfronia Thompson announced on Nov. 6 that she has secured enough support to be elected Speaker of the House in a vote on the first day of the legislative session next January. In this week's midterm elections, Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected governor, becoming the state's first Latina governor; Vicky Goodwin was elected lieutenant governor, the state's first woman in that post; and Democrats won a House majority, taking control of the chamber for the first time since 2003. If Thompson's coalition holds, Texas will have its first all-woman top three — governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker. Thompson was first elected to the state House in 1972, when the entire legislature had only two women. Houston Democratic Representative Christina Morales called the moment momentous. Jennifer Clark, a University of Houston political scientist who studies women in politics, noted that all three women leaders come from the Austin area, with Hinojosa and Goodwin representing adjacent districts. Thompson said the new leadership will work to lower the cost of living, protect jobs and expand economic opportunity.
(Source: The Texas Tribune)
Source: The Texas Tribune
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：德克萨斯州议会大厦（奥斯汀）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，授权见图页。 / Photo: Texas State Capitol in Austin. Source: Wikimedia Commons (license on file page).
