State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

In New Governors’ Cabinets, Diversity Is Priority

Governing: The new governors of New Jersey and Virginia -- both Democrats elected in November -- each already made history with their cabinet choices.

In the wake of historic 2017 victories for female candidates, the #MeToo movement and the Women’s March, women will make up a majority of the Virginia cabinet for the first time ever and will come close or equal to that in New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy's picks have included at least eight women (Murphy is not yet done with his appointments).

Murphy's cabinet nominees are also notable for their racial and ethnic diversity. They include the first Sikh-American attorney general of any state in the country, the first Muslim-American cabinet official in state history, the first African-American -- and first minority -- to lead the New Jersey National Guard, and the first Latina to lead the state’s banking and insurance department.

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