Record number of women are running for governor and winning their primaries

Voters in 36 states will be heading to the polls this November to elect their governors, and in a year where state leaders have been in the spotlight as they  address some of the most pressing issues — COVID-19 and abortion, for instance — a record number of women are running for the job. Now, as the primary season draws to a close in the next few weeks, a record number of women are winning their party's nomination. 

Sixty-nine women filed to run for governor in 2022, surpassing the previous record of 61, set in 2018. So far, 23 have won their primaries, according to the Center for American Women and Politics, which tracks women candidates. The previous record was also set in 2018 when 16 women won their primaries.

Currently, nine women serve as governors across the country, matching a record first set in 2004, and this year could break that record.