It's still, far too often, a man's world - in politics anyway. And in Tennessee, a red world, as well.
But we see positive signs that things are changing.
Among the dozen and a half or so contested races on our local ballots that included women candidates, four saw women claim victories. And a number of races saw climbing Democratic votes.
-U.S. House Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a GOP favorite all along, ran away with the primary nomination for Bob Corker's soon-to-be vacated Senate seat. She'll face a tougher haul in November against middle-of-the-road Democratic businessman and popular former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen.
-Esther Helton, an East Ridge City Council member and nurse, squeaked a hard-fought Republican primary victory for the Tennessee House of Representative's District 30 seat by only 140 votes over political newcomer Jonathan Mason. Helton, no doubt, got a boost from the negative ads and mailers promulgated by Mason's supporters. She faces Democratic nominee Joda Thongnopnua in November.
-The life experience of business co-owner and mom Jenny Hill, along with her reason on a debate floor, was a logical win for Hamilton County Board of Education District 6 over a single, 28-year-old self-described data analyst, digital marketing specialist and classically trained singer who in the same year he sought public office started his own business after brief stints of employment and volunteer efforts.
-The winning female Democratic nominee for Tennessee House District 26 wasn't actually running for office anymore and hadn't been for months because she had moved out of the district. Yet Jean-Marie Lawrence's name remained on the ballot though everyone, including the Hamilton County Election Commission, thought she wasn't running. Miraculously and without campaigning she bested by 303 votes the male candidate, David Jones, who did campaign - at least as much as a candidate who believes he has no primary opposition campaigns.
Meanwhile, when incumbent Rep. Gerald McCormick also withdrew from the race, his name was removed from the ballot and the GOP was given an extra and late seven days to name a new GOP candidate so that the only remaining candidate thought to be in the race - Jones - wouldn't automatically win. Republican operative Robin Smith qualified.
But now, Lawrence finds herself needing to move again, and since she is the Democratic nominee, she plans to move back into the district and compete. That means two women - Lawrence and Smith - will face off in November.
Now look at the women on the ballot who fought hard races unsuccessfully:
-The highly favored GOP gubernatorial primary candidate Diane Black lost to a political newcomer who wrapped himself in faith and the mantle of "a conservative outsider," Bill Lee. She actually came in third.
-In the Democratic primary for House District 28, the seat left open by retiring Rep. Joanne Favors, two women - Melody Shekari and Jackie Thomas - came in second and last, respectively, in a field of five contestants. The race was won by longtime city and county politician Yusuf Hakeem.
But in addition to the fact that we had more women (and Democrats) in more races than usual, we also saw voting results that offer strong evidence of inroads:
-In Hamilton County, Aloyse Brown, a political newcomer, ran a stellar Democratic race against our incumbent Republican Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger. In a county that hasn't fielded a Democratic candidate for county mayor in a dozen years and last saw a Democrat in that office in 1994, Brown's nearly 40 percent of the vote was amazing.
-Similarly, Democrat and political newcomer Elizabeth Baker took 43 percent of the vote but lost her bid for the open Hamilton County Commission District 2 seat to longtime Riverbend director Chip Baker.
-In Commission District 3 - overwhelmingly Republican Hixson - Democrat and political newcomer Rosabelle Gorman still garnered 28 percent of the vote against incumbent Republican Greg Martin.
-Likewise, in Hixson's District 3 school board race, political newcomer Miracle Hurley pulled 31 percent of the votes from incumbent Joe Smith.
-Countywide, Democrat and political novice and veteran register of deeds office worker Vickie Schroyer tallied 43 percent of the vote, losing to former East Ridge politician and incumbent Tennessee Rep. Marc Gravitt.
Women and Democrats did themselves proud Thursday, but we must not rest.
It's onward to November, where we must pay close attention to the U.S. 3rd District congressional race of Dr. Danielle Mitchell, a political novice who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Chuck Fleischmann.
Fleischmann clobbered his three male GOP primary challengers, but in their respective primaries Mitchell pulled about a third as many votes as Fleischmann did - with little name recognition or money.
We can do this.