State of the Union: Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the first woman to give birth three times while serving in the House - and mom-related themes are
likely to be woven into her official Republican response to the State of the Union Address tonight.
When you picture Hillary Clinton... what comes to mind -- a diplomat? a senator? a First Lady? an attorney? a mom? For Time magazine, it's a giant crushing a man under the heel of her sensible pump. For The New York Times Magazine, it's a planet amidst a galaxy of celestial networks. Go figure.
Progress and Problems in States: According to The Washington Post, Republican Governor Terry Branstad - along with many others - is ready to elect Iowa's first woman to the U.S. Senate or U.S. House. And speaking of firsts, the National Journal speculates about the possibility that Pennsylvania - a state ranking 38th for its proportion of women legislators - could elect its first woman governor. Meanwhile, California is headed in the opposite direction, with fewer women in its state legislature than in recent years, despite the presence of women in powerful statewide offices and in Congress.
Top Businesswoman: The last open slot in President Obama's cabinet will be filled by his designee as head of the Small Business Administration, Maria Contreras-Sweet. NPR reported on the new appointee's rise from granddaughter of a migrant worker to presidential appointee.
Who's Running? More Women of Color: Women's e-news featured an excerpt from More Women Can Run, by CAWP senior scholars Susan Carroll and Kira Sanbonmatsu. In it, they explain how the rise in the number of Democratic women in state legislatures is driven by the increasing number of women of color.