In 2005, Washington was the only state in the union to elect two women senators and a women governor into office. But the elections Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Governor Christine Gregoire won were no aberrations. Washington state has a long tradition of voting women into public office.

Since becoming the fifth state to grant women the vote (1910), women have served in state and local offices in Washington in record numbers. The political history of Washington is ripe with stories of women distinguishing themselves as elected officials.

There probably isn't a highway in Washington that doesn't have Julia Butler Hansen's name on it. As state legislator from Cathlamet from 1939 to 1960, Hansen served on or chaired the House Highway Committee for nearly two decades, leading efforts to construct Interstate-5 and many other highways. She also served seven terms in the U.S. Congress, ending in 1974. "No one represented her people better than [Hansen]," said Washington Senator Warren Magnuson.

Bertha Knight Landes, elected mayor of Seattle in 1926, became the first woman to lead a major American city. She ran on a platform of "municipal housekeeping," vowing to clean up city government. She advocated municipal ownership of utilities such as City Light and street railways. Her single term ended in 1928, but she remained a civic leader and role model for women.

Ruby Chow was the first Asian American woman elected to the King County Council in 1973, but her greatest contribution was bringing cultures together. As owner of Seattle's first upscale Chinese restaurant, Ruby Chow's, she introduced Seattle to Chinese cuisine and culture. The popularity of Asian food in the Northwest started at Ruby Chow's in the 1960s. Chow become a tireless activist for the people of Chinatown and served four terms on the county council.

In 1976, Dixy Lee Ray was the first woman to be elected governor of Washington. Born in Tacoma, Ray was a zoologist and associate professor of marine biology at the University of Washington. Prior to her controversial single term in the governor's office, Ray was director of the Pacific Science Center and later appointed to the Atomic Energy Commission.

Jennifer Dunn leaped the gender gap in Republican Party politics. She was the first woman to lead the Washington State Republican Party, and served as chairwoman. In 1992, she was elected to the first of her six terms in Congress, representing the Seattle and Bellevue areas. She was the first freshman woman to earn a place on the House Republican leadership team and won a prized seat on the Ways and Means Committee. One colleague said, "Jennifer Dunn really had a 'W' after her name because she worked tirelessly for Washington and put its best interests above partisan interests."