With Mississippi appointment, Vermont only state yet to send a woman to Congress

WASHINGTON — When Congress returns to Washington, D.C. in April following a scheduled two-week recess, Mississippi will have a new United States senator.

Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith’s appointment by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant Wednesday to succeed longtime senator Thad Cochran leaves Vermont with a new distinction: it is the only state in the country that has not been represented by a woman in Congress.

Ruth Hardy of Emerge Vermont, a group that trains Democratic women to run for office, said the state’s failure to send a woman to Congress runs counter to the state’s reputation for implementing progressive policies, such as legalizing same-sex marriage.

“We consider ourselves very progressive, and we have a tradition of equality in Vermont,” Hardy said.

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2018/03/22/with-mississippi-appointment-vermont-only-state-yet-to-send-a-woman-to-congress/