By 1933, voters had elected six women to the Legislature, and a woman was serving her second term as governor, although she could not serve on a jury. Women did not gain that right until 1954. Today 32 women serve in the Texas Legislature. Senators Jane Nelson, Florence Shapiro, Leticia Van de Putte and Judith Zaffirini are the only women in the 31-member Texas Senate. In our Senate District 25, voters have elected women county judges, commissioners, mayors, city council members, district attorneys, district clerks and sheriffs.
Women bring a fresh perspective to public office.
In the Legislature, for example, they often champion family issues, such as education, health care and safety. Women candidates for public office have a distinct advantage over men in the minds of most voters. Just as women in early Texas worked with men to establish homesteads and communities, men and women in the Senate work together to pass legislation that benefits all Texans. Quality of life is neither gender nor age specific.