Editorial: Women presidential candidates inspire as they aim for 'highest' glass ceiling

After a late election night in November of 1992, a tired Daily Herald staffer told her early-riser toddler that the country had a new president. "What's her name?" he asked simply, sweetly unaware that his pronoun of choice had never been applied to a U.S. president.

Bill Clinton was elected that year. Twenty-four years later, his wife - Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton - came incredibly close to being the first woman elected president when she captured the popular vote but lost the electoral college to current President Donald Trump.

Now, after weekend announcements by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, there are six women setting their sights on the White House. At this point, female candidates Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and author Marianne Williamson have all either declared their candidacy or announced their intention to seek the Democratic nomination.

Including at least five males, the Democratic field already is crowded and likely to change drastically before Election Day 2020. Additional candidates will jump into the fray. Others will bow out. Primary battles will propel some runs, while disappointing totals will end others. Yet, the number of women already in the race, coupled with the record-breaking number of women who entered Congress last month, is an encouraging sign of the growing clout of women in American leadership and a beacon of hope for every little girl who grew up being told she could be whatever she wanted - but never truly believed it.

This year marks a century since the 19th Amendment passed, granting women the right to vote in America. It was ratified in 1920, becoming the greatest extension of voting rights in U.S. history. In the decades since, women have been seated on the Supreme Court and rocketed into space, yet they still wondered when - if - America would be ready to elect a female president.

Many women wept when Hillary Clinton conceded the race to Trump in 2016 while reminding the little girls watching her that they were "valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve" their dreams.

"I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling," Clinton told young women in her speech, "but someday someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now."

Regardless of when that day comes, the strong, intelligent women already on the campaign trail along with Republican women who are often mentioned as having presidential timbre - like former Hewlett-Packard CEO (and former presidential candidate) Carly Fiorina, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and others - are encouraging signs of a not-too-distant day when presidential pronouns go beyond "he" and "him."