New York

In a state infamously governed by “three men in a room,” three women want to take the helm of upstate cities.

Rochester and Albany can elect their first female mayors in November, when Lovely Warren and Kathy Sheehan will lead the Democratic ticket in the respective cities. In Syracuse, Stephanie Miner became that city’s first woman mayor four years ago and is seeking re-election without a major-party opponent.

If they’re elected, it would mark a historic first for New York: Three of its six largest cities would have women in the mayor’s office.

Constituents around the state have been receiving mail declaring that the state Senate has passed historic women's legislation. The Assembly passed the 10-point Women's Equality Act in its entirety, but the state Senate failed to do so. The state Senate passed nine separate bills and refused to even discuss the 10th: the critical reproductive health component supported by 850 organizations and businesses from around the state. 

Before Anthony Weiner cannonballed into the 2013 New York City mayoral race, the storyline of the election had been whether mayoral frontrunner and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn would become the city's first female mayor (and its first openly gay mayor to boot).