Massachusetts, the state thought by many to be liberal and progressive, has yet to have a woman as a state senator? Can this be true?

A state where Hillary Clinton won the primary by 18 points, and yet the 2 male U.S. Senators and male Governor chose to openly endorse and rally around her opponent? Has Massachusetts finally had enough of the old boys club?

AG Coakley

Yesterday, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley officially threw her hat in the ring to run for Kennedy’s open seat.  Coakley is a Democrat and is the state’s first woman AG.

Here’s a bit about Coakley:

In December 1997, Coakley resigned her position to campaign for District Attorney in the 54 cities and towns of Middlesex County. During her term as District Attorney, Coakley has been recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Massachusetts School of Law and the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court.

In November 2000, the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts honored Coakley with its coveted Leila J. Robinson Award for her contributions to the field of law. In June 2002—the year she was President of the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association—the YWCA Boston selected her as a member of its Academy of Women Achievers Class of 2002.

In 2004, she received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Management in Government. She also received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the Massachusetts Democratic Party in 2006. A former president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, she has served on the Board of Directors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.

Jane Swift

Another possible contender for the seat is Republican Jane Swift, former acting Governor of Massachusetts.  At this point, Swift has not indicated interest in running for the open seat; but she is certainly qualified to do so.

Jane Swift spoke out frequently on behalf of then Governor Palin when Palin ran for VP in 2008 about the rampant sexism that Palin faced.

Here’s a bit about Jane Swift:

…the former Republican Acting Governor of Massachusetts. She is the only woman to hold that position, serving from April 2001 to January 2003. At the time she became acting governor, Swift was the youngest person in the country to hold the position (as governor or acting governor). She continued (concurrently) to serve as Lieutenant Governor. In 1990, at the age of 25, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Massachusetts Senate.