Woman seeks to become first Native American governor in US history

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A woman has won the Idaho Democratic primary, setting her up to potentially become the first Native American governor in United States history.

Paulette Jordan won the Democratic primary for governor in Idaho with roughly 58 per cent of the vote in a race that attracted more than double the turnout compared to the previous cycle.

Ms Jordan, a former state representative, would also be the first woman governor of Idaho if she is elected in the deep red state this November.

“We are all one. Like all of you, I am a Westerner. I was raised by Idaho,” Ms Jordan told a crowd of supporters Monday night at a Boise bar for her victory party.

“I come here on the vision and the prayer of our ancestors. They suffered and sacrificed for far too long for us to not see this win tonight. We have a better Idaho and we’ve seen that tonight.”

Ms Jordan’s victory in the primary comes amid rapid growth in the state, which is the fastest in the entire country. That growth is leading to a shift in demographics, even as the state has remained roughly 90 per cent white.

While Ms Jordan actually winning the governorship is a long shot — a Democrat hasn’t won in the state since 1990 — but she was joined by women in other states Tuesday in primary wins in male-dominated states.

In Pennsylvania, at least seven women won Democratic primaries after a record number of women ran for House seats amid intense political enthusiasm. At least three of the women won in districts in the Philadelphia suburbs and in districts where Democrats are heavily favoured to win in any election, according to the New York Times.

Those primary wins make it increasingly likely that they will be able to disrupt what has been, to this point, an all male congressional delegation.