Nov 25, 2024 - News
Utah's history as women U.S. governors reach record numbers
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Utah is among a majority of states that have had a woman in the governor's seat.
Driving the news: A record-setting 13 women will be governors in 2025 once New Hampshire Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte takes office, making up 26% of U.S. governors.
Catch up quick: The late Olene Walker, a Republican, became Utah's first — and so far only — woman governor in 2003.
- The state's first woman lieutenant governor was sworn in after then-Gov. Michael Leavitt stepped down to head the Environmental Protection Agency under George W. Bush. She was succeeded by Jon Huntsman Jr.
- She notably vetoed a controversial public school voucher bill to the dismay of Republicans and backed programs for the development of early literacy skills during her 14-month-term.
Between the lines: Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who just secured her second term as the state's top elections officer, is the second woman to hold the No. 2 office.