New Hampshire goes pink

>>> states are often called red or blue. new hampshire has become the first pink state. new hampshire has the first only all female delegation. two in the senate, two in the house, and a female governor. joining me now is new hampshire governor maggie hassen. it's great to have you on with me today. as we talk about this, four women in congress, you as the governor, not to mention a female statehouse speaker and a state chief justice . explain to all of us what's in the water in there in the granite state that's getting so many women clekd elected.

>> well, first of all, thanks for having me on today, thomas. it's great to be with you. i think it's a mix of things in new hampshire . we are a very inclusive and welcoming place because we are also what i like to call an all hands on deck kind of state. we value volunteerism and citizen participation, and we're a small rural cold place where a lot of granite so if you are willing to work hard, we're willing to take you, and so we have a long history of people working together regardless of gender and we also have a very large statehouse, as you may know. 400 members for our small state. there are lots of opportunities for women and men to get involved, and prove their competence and learn about the political system and move from there.

>> as we look at politics on a national level, we have this record number of women in the new congress. when we look at this dichotomy, there are 16 states that have no women in congress at all. from your vantage point as a female governor, state of new hampshire there and what's taking place, what advice would you have to encourage more women to join public service ?

>> well, i think it's really important that women understand that there is a place for them in public service . you know, all the research shows that when you have men and women at the table whether it's a corporate boardroom or in government you make better decision because you're bringing a variety of perspectives and experiences to the table, and that's really, really important. of course, you can't get involved in elected office, though, if you don't run, so one of the things i really encourage women throughout the country to do is find out how they can get involved and how they can run for office, and i think it's more accessible than most women think it is, and i would really encourage them to do it because we need, again, you know, we need all hands on deck in the country and in every state right now.

>> all right. that's a great segue to this because there has been a lot of talk about whether hillary clinton would run for president in 2016 . a report in politico this week said the democrats are in search of a woman in 2016 to run for president regardless of this. is it time for a woman to run for the oval office , and if not hillary, do you think it might be someone like you? i have a long friendship with her and president clinton , and i'm a big fan . i'm delight she's back at work, and i know the rest of the country and new hampshire is too. i think it's really important that as we all focus on moving forward as a country and in the state of new hampshire i'm obviously focused on our particular challenges that we just make sure that as many people as possible get involved in the political process and run for office. i think we'll see the next couple of years people at the national level, people who are interested in national office getting a sense of, you know, their own sense of timing and what the issues are that are before the country and how they can contribute.

>> so does that mean that you -- does that mean you would or wopt consider raising your exposure to run for federal position?

>> i am very focused on the state of new hampshire right now. we have a lot of challenges. we have a lot of goodwill, and we're really focussing on making a stronger, more ininnovative state in new hampshire . that's where my focus is.

>> it's great to have you on today. we really appreciate your time. thank you.

>> thank you.