Women Who Know How to Govern

In 1984 Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman to be a vice presidential candidate from one of the major parties. She won as Walter Mondale’s running mate in their unsuccessful bid against incumbent Ronald Reagan and VP candidate George H. W. Bush. With the popularity of Hillary Clinton, and the importance being placed on women voters, it would be no surprise to see a women selected as a running mate. Two women who fit the mold, and would add a lot to their party’s tickets are Democratic governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, and Alaska governor, Republican Sarah Palin.

Kathleen Sebelius – Born on May 15, 1948, Sebelius is serving as the 44th Governor of Kansas. Sebelius received her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Kansas, and began her political career in the Kansas House of Representatives in 1986. In 1994 she was elected to serve as state insurance commissioner. She was the first Democrat to hold this position in over one hundred years. In 2002 Sebelius was elected to serve as Governor, and in 2006 she won a landslide election. Her popularity and ability to govern in a predominantly red state has won her accolades from across the Democratic party. In 2005 Time called Sebelius one of the top five governor’s in the country. In 2008 she was picked to give the rebuttal to the state of the union address delivered by President Bush. She has been a strong and early supporter of Barack Obama, and would bring a lot to the campaign. At sixty years of age, and with twenty-two years of experience serving in elected office Sebelius would help counter the argument that Obama is to young and inexperienced. Sebelius erased a one billion dollar deficit, and helped to invest in public education. A downfall facing Sebelius is she has no national security credentials, which is going to be an important issue in this election. She is a likely candidate, but there are many who would be offended if Obama named a woman as his running mate, and it wasn’t Clinton. If Sebelius is not named as the Vice Presidential candidate, many believe she will run in 2010 for the United States Senate.

Sarah Palin – This election is about change, and Obama’s candidacy is about making history. If McCain chooses a woman as his running mate, history would be made regardless of who is selected. Palin is young and vibrant, and would bring youth and energy to McCain’s campaign. She is just forty-four years old, and is the youngest Governor ever elected in Alaska, forty-two at the time. She is also the first female governor of Alaska. Her political career began on the Wasilla City Council from 1992 to 1996 and became a two-term mayor and manager of Wasilla from 1996-2002. Palin was appointed as Ethics Commissioner on the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission by Governor Frank Murkowski where she served from 2003 to 2004. She ended up resigning in protest over what she called to be the "lack of ethics" of fellow Republican leaders. Her commitment to the fight against government corruption has made her very popular within her state. She was elected to the office of governor in 2006, and has had very high approval ratings during her tenure. Palin is pro-life, against same sex marriage, is a long time member of the NRA, and in favor of drilling in ANWAR. She is conservative and would be loved by Evangelical Christians. She is a choice that would make sense for McCain since she counters many of his apparent weaknesses. Many say that Palin is on the short list of potential candidates.