STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus played a vice president on television. Yesterday, the "Veep" star showed up at the real Democratic convention, hosting a panel with the eight women who are Democratic state governors. Courtney Kueppers of member station WBEZ in Chicago has more.
COURTNEY KUEPPERS, BYLINE: Julia Louis-Dreyfus entered the stage to huge applause from a friendly Democratic crowd. She joked that perhaps she ought to seek office after playing a politician on TV. New York Governor Kathy Hochul quickly offered this in return.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATHY HOCHUL: You're more qualified than Donald Trump. Don't worry about it.
KUEPPERS: It was among many pointed criticisms of the former president and current Republican nominee from the panel of governors. They lead the states of Kansas, Massachusetts, Arizona, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, New York and Oregon. And they say there are some upsides to being a woman in a male-dominated space. Here's Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GRETCHEN WHITMER: I do think that that's a huge advantage to come in where people write us off, don't expect us to be as deep on issues or as thoughtful in articulating a vision. I would much rather be underestimated than overestimated.
KUEPPERS: The panel also waded into serious policy discussion, especially around the topic of reproductive rights, which Republican nominee Trump says should be up to the states. Among the governors on stage, two lead states, Kansas and Arizona, where abortion access has been limited by Republican-led legislatures in recent years. Here's Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona, where abortion is banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATIE HOBBS: We are under an extreme restriction in Arizona, and women who get pregnant don't have access to the care that they need.
KUEPPERS: Abortion access is on the ballot in that state in November. It's not just Democratic women who are governors. There are also four Republican female governors. That means about a quarter of the states in the country are led by a woman. But the panelists say it's not enough, and they are focused on getting more women into elected office. Here's Hochul.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HOCHUL: So you build the farm team, right? That's how you have to do it. Because the guys don't require any qualifications. They just step up and run. Am I right about that? So I just want to say women should not have to have the greatest resume in the world to start getting into the game.
KUEPPERS: An event that started with jokes ended with calls to elect Kamala Harris and put a woman in the White House.
For NPR News, I'm Courtney Kueppers in Chicago. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.