I disagree that 20 years of preparation is crucial, given that Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton won, though each were governors of southern* states, and each capitalized on a weak Republican incumbant to win. In as little as a year, a previously little-known senator or governor can make a credible run, if he (she?) is an adept public speaker and hits a chord with voters.
A minor note; though we Canadians have had a female Prime Minister (Kim Campbell), she was little more that a caretaker, overseeing the final months of a Conservative Party mandate after Brian Mulroney stepped down, and just before the party got the worst clobbering in Canadian electoral history.
*I hesitate to say “jerkwater”, but I’m sure that’s how Georgia and Arkansas are perceived in the Northeast and California
A small clarification: Canada has never had an elected female head of state, because we don’t have an elected head of state, period. There’s the Queen, of course, and we’ve had at least two female governors-general, including the current one. Kim Campbell, as prime minister, was our first female head of government.
Oops. I even referred to New Zealand’s female “head of state” in my original post. (And I was talking about Jenny Shipley, not the Queen). Of course,* I meant female head of government, but my sloppiness prevailed. How embarassment.
