Judy: With most of the nation's
primary elections behind us now,
we are starting to get a clearer
look of November races.
The only state that has never
sent a woman to congress is
poised to elect its first.
As our congressional
correspondent explains, that
expected milestone comes as
women still struggle to be
elected in equal numbers as men.
Reporter: To date, 399 women
have walked the halls of power
in congress as representatives
and senators and they have come
from 49 states.
>> And now, please join me in
welcoming my wife.
Reporter: Becca vallen is poised
to make Vermont the 50th state,
the last to send a woman to
congress after she won the
democratic primary this month.
>> It is sinking in little by
little.
It is very exciting and a little
daunting.
Being the first of anything is a
challenge because you want to do
right by everybody.
You want to make sure you
represent the state well.
Reporter: Women wield
substantial power in Vermont.
One of the first states to elect
a female governor.
Three of the last four states of
house have been women.
But even among supporters,
questions sometimes went past
her qualifications into fear of
prejudice.
>> There was a sense that maybe
Vermont is not ready for a woman
in this role and second is not
ready for a gay woman.
Reporter: What has taken Vermont
so long to elect a
congresswoman?
Michelle teaches about women in
politics at Georgetown writing
several books on the subject
staying in Vermont and elsewhere
it is a question of opportunity.
>> Some of what you see going on
is that it is harder for women
as non-incumbents running as
challengers in open seat races
to get elected.
Reporter: Vermont is a small
state with a small delegation in
congress and seats rarely open
and incumbents have won every
time they have run since 1990.
The states loan house seat
indirectly opened up after
senator Patrick Lahey announced
his retirement after nearly 50
years.
>> When you are waiting for
someone to retire for that long,
it is a pretty long wait to get
into congress.
Reporter: Women account for
slightly more than 50% of the
U.S. Population but are not even
30% of the U.S. House and even
less of the U.S. Senate.
Why?
There are several factors.
>> There is a lot of research
that shows women need to be
asked more and they are more
reluctant to throw their hat
into the ring.
Reporter: There are fewer of
them in state and local offices
that feed congressional
primaries and big donors are
less likely to write them big
checks.
>> For many people if they see a
woman's name on the ballot, that
person would have to clear a
much higher bar than someone
with a traditionally male name.
Reporter: Charles Robbins runs
stony brook university center
for changing systems of power
and he says gender bias can be
unconscious -- subconscious and
leach down from one generation
to the next making it difficult
for many to picture a woman in
>> The patriarchy and the
male-dominated system has
influenced every part of our
culture, every part of our
society and no place is that
true or then in government and
in politics.
Reporter: There is an additional
gender divide between the two
biggest parties.
In the house, just 16% of
Republicans are women but the
figure is 41% for house
Democrats.
Jennifer Carroll, Republican and
former lieutenant governor of
Florida wants to see
conservatives check out.
>> The party has not put a
concerted effort in to say we
are going to go out and recruit
viable females to run for
office.
The Democrats have.
Reporter: She is a national
spokesperson for Maggie's list.
It is a political action
committee.
>> Mr. Chairman --
reporter: She says a lack of
vocabulary in the -- in the GOP
does not help.
>> The guys say I am a strong
guy.
Reporter: In 2020, Republican
women had their best showing
ever in the house and have more
than doubled their previous
number from 15 to 35.
>> We sell we needed to get our
conservative female candidates
-- we saw we needed to get our
conservative female candidates
over the line.
Reporter: This, one hundred
years after Montana elected the
first countries -- as Vermont is
poised for its first.
>> I hope I'm making it easier
for the next person to come up.
Reporter: Women's gains in
congress are not matched at the
highest runs.
>> When it comes to governors,
people seem to trust women more
as legislators.
Executive leadership is harder.
Reporter: 19 states still have
not elected a woman as governor.
Nancy Pelosi remains the only
woman elected to the leader of
either chamber of commerce --
chamber of congress.