Women Poised to Hold Texas Government's Top Three Posts for the First Time; Thompson Has Votes for House Speaker
TEXAS — Texas is set for a historic first on November 7: women are poised to hold the state government's top three posts at the same time. State Representative Senfronia Thompson announced on November 6 that she has secured enough support to be elected speaker of the House when the legislature votes on the first day of the session in 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, becoming the state's first woman in that post; and Democrats won the House majority, their first control of the chamber since 2003. If Thompson's coalition holds, Texas will have its first all-women "big three" — governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker. Thompson was first elected to the 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 neighboring districts. Thompson said the new leadership will focus on lowering living costs, protecting jobs and expanding economic opportunity.
Source: The Texas Tribune
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：奥斯汀德克萨斯州议会大厦。Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0。 / Photo: Texas State Capitol, Austin. Via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
