Arkansas did it in 1931. South Dakota did it in 1938. Maine, Nebraska, Oregon & Kansas did it in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s respectively.
Arkansas, California, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington have all done it at least twice.
Massachusetts has never done it.
“It” is electing a woman to the US Senate.
Unlike their counterparts in three bordering states (CT, NH, VT), Massachusetts voters also have never elected a female governor.
All of which is to say that Boston Globe op-ed columnist and veteran political observer Joan Vennochi gives good advice today when she warns Elizabeth Warren of the perils of becoming the “woman’s candidate” in her US Senate race:
(Warren’s) obviously a smart, articulate, and confident candidate. But while her advocacy of birth control coverage makes feminist hearts flutter, it may be a little too breathless and self-righteous for others.
Just like Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Warren should reclaim the economic turf. That’s what the election is really about.
Massachusetts has a long-standing proclivity for deciding what’s right and that the rest of the country should now (immediately!) follow its lead (see: the American Revolution, abolitionism, the labor movement, prohibition, marriage equality). We’re just not always as good at walking the walk as we are at talking the talk.
Crossposted at: http://masscommons.wordpress.com/