Michigan’s Attorney General Jennifer Granholm became the first woman to win a major party nomination in that state. Women candidates for Governor are running strong in more than a dozen states.

The number of open gubernatorial seats is shining a spotlight on women candidates in the rough and tumble world of state politics.

There are strong female candidates for governor in Kansas, Maryland, Arizona, New Hampshire and Michigan. Wins by long-shot candidates could increase the total of women U.S. governors from 5 to as many as 15.

These candidates have proven leadership credentials. Maryland frontrunner Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the state’s Lt. Governor, Massachusetts’s Gubernatorial candidate Shannon O’Brien is a highly regarded State Treasurer and Kathleen Sebelius spent seven years as Kansas state insurance commissioner.

Despite undisputed professional qualifications and experience, gender is still an issue for some voters to overcome.

“A candidate’s gender should matter about as much as a candidate’s shoe size,” says Cheryl Eastburn, director of the IAM Women’s Department. “But no one should doubt there are still barriers for women in this country to overcome.”

Whatever the candidate’s gender, voter turnout will play a critical role in these elections.  And, so will IAM members whose votes can mean the difference between victory and defeat in these states.