United States of America

The emergence of three female Democrats as competitive Senate candidates has party activists optimistic the 2014 election cycle will end with a record number of women in the upper chamber.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, who officially launched her Senate bid Tuesday, joins fellow Democrats Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky and Michelle Nunn in Georgia as high-profile recruits in states Democrats consider winnable next year.

Susan Farmer, who broke the glass ceiling in Rhode Island politics by becoming the first woman to be elected secretary of state — and the first female Rhode Islander ever to hold statewide general office — and then went on to run and manage the state’s public television station for 17 years, died Monday after a long battle with cancer. She was 71.

Politician and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once said, “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”

Fictional "Parks and Recreation" politician Leslie Knope once said, “Maybe it’s time for more women to be in charge.” And then probably said something about waffles.

While perhaps the real-world influence of these two women is disparate (one a fictional television character, the other a diplomat who has traveled to and managed relations in over 112 countries), the messages of both ring true.

The woman who helped launch the beginning of the end of Bob Filner's mayoral careeris now being recognized as a "Woman of Courage".

That salute to Donna Frye's courage and civic activism comes from Run Women Run -- an influential, nonpartisan political action committee that promotes women in electoral politics.

In an interview Wednesday with NBC 7, Frye ruled out questions and discussion about the many women she urged to come forward with sexual allegations against Filner.

There's something missing from our political offices, and the answer is in the hormones. We need more estrogen.

Despite having successful female examples at the national level such as Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Nancy Pelosi, the number of women in political office is staggeringly low. According to a 2013 study by the Center for American Women and Politics, women comprise only 18.3% of Congress; in other words, they hold only 98 of the 535 seats.

Seven local women announced the formation of the Institute for Women in Politics of Northwest Florida Inc. The nonprofit corporation will “provide ... training resources and counseling services to promote and fulfill the vital need for women to serve at all levels of government in the Florida counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa". Former Pensacola City Councilor Diane Mack is the organization’s first president. 

State Sen. LeAnna Washington, D-4, was a high school dropout, had her first child at age 17, was a single mother, grew up in a tumultuous household, was a victim of domestic violence and received government assistance well into her adult years. However, these hardships did not stifle Washington — they motivated her to be a leader in her community.