Since his decision in early March to remove spectators from the Arnold Classic in Columbus, a move that would be a precursor to the suspension of all sports nationwide a week later, Governor Mike DeWine has taken the lead among the nation's governors in the coronavirus fight.

He was a Republican governor going where even Democratic governors dared not to go in the early days of this crisis and his handling of it has brought him national attention. A new Washington Post Ipsos Poll ranks him number one among a cross section of governors in the handling of this crisis at 86%.

“Without bias it's not surprising,” said News 5 Political Analyst Dr. Tom Sutton. “We've seen consistently high polling ratings for Governor DeWine since the beginning of the crisis. The Community Research Institute poll that we conducted just the week before this polling data came out showed a very similar 84 percent approval of how the governor has handled the crisis in comparison with about a 51% approval of how President Trump has handled it.”

More amazing still is the fact that while 84% of Republicans in Ohio approve of DeWine's handling of the crisis, the number among Democrats is 90%.

"This really is quite remarkable but I think it demonstrates that split within the Republican party where Ohio House Speaker Householder and some of the other more conservative Republicans are turning against DeWine because they see opening the economy as something that should be happening faster than Governor DeWine is allowing it to,” Sutton said.

But Sutton says DeWine has never been a political leader with his finger in the wind or one likely to bow to political pressure.

"Governor DeWine consistently says I'm going with the science, I'm going with what the health experts say and we saw the protests that happened recently including those against Dr. Acton and Governor DeWine very strongly saying if you're going to protest, protest against me I'm the one making the decisions."

Recent polls have had President Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in a statistical tie in the state. Sutton said it’s likely still too early to read anything into these numbers but to be clear, DeWine will have the president's back.

“Even for Republicans they see DeWine as someone who does not take political advantage of the situation, that he maintains his loyalty to President Trump and he is very pragmatic and understands that President Trump is someone not to be crossed, someone that you find a working relationship with and maintain that because again Federal aid and assistance is dependent in part on what the president decides or doesn't decide and DeWine is very aware of that and acts accordingly,” said Sutton.

With Kathy Hochul officially taking over the reins as New York's governor, a historic number of women are currently leading U.S. states — a push towards equality and representation that could continue into next year’s midterm elections.

There are now nine women serving as governor in the U.S. That ties a record that was set in 2004 and matched in 2007 and 2019, but it’s still well shy of gender proportionality.

Taking over on short notice for a scandal-plagued predecessor in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Hochul began her tenure Tuesday with more than enough challenges for a new administration. She also began with an historic opportunity: Hochul is the first woman to hold one of the most prominent governorships in the U.S.

“New York as a whole has been a tough place for women to break into the highest levels, because there is very much a tight set of powerful gatekeepers," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

"And unfortunately — even in 2021 — women are still seen, in effect, as newcomers,” she said.

A century after women gained the right to vote, 19 states still have never been led by a woman. That includes some of the most populous states, such as California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Even if it succeeds, California's recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom next month doesn't appear likely to elevate a woman to the state's top job.

Hochul had served as New York's lieutenant governor until succeeding fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo, who resigned after a decade in office. Cuomo had faced a potential impeachment battle after an attorney general's investigation said he had sexually harassed or inappropriately touched 11 women. Among other things, Cuomo also had faced a legislative investigation into whether he misled the public last year about COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Hochul already has announced she will seek a full four-year term in 2022.

Next year could be a pivotal one for women running for governor. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon will be the only female incumbent barred from seeking re-election by term limits. Six male governors also will be term-limited, opening a path to office for fresh candidates from both parties.

In Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey can't run again, the field already has several candidates who are women, including Republican state Treasurer Kimberly Yee and Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Arizona already holds the record for the most women who have served as governor — four. Kansas has had three.

In Arkansas, which has never had a woman serve as governor, a high-profile Republican primary pits Attorney General Leslie Rutledge against Sarah Sanders, press secretary for former President Donald Trump and daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee. The incumbent, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, will be termed out.

In 2018, women's political advocates also thought they were primed for success with a record number of candidates for governor. But they did not ultimately set a new record for victories.

Women currently hold 18% of governors' offices — significantly less than this year's new records of 27% of U.S. congressional seats and 31% of state legislative seats. In addition, Vice President Kamala Harris also became the first woman in that role this year.

Part of the challenge in electing women as governors is overcoming stereotypes of men as stronger, more decisive leaders, Walsh said.

Another challenge is deepening the pool of women willing to enter politics, said Wendy Doyle, president and CEO of the Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit United WE.

The organization is coordinating an effort to get more women appointed to positions on state, county and city boards and commissions. It's working with local officials in California, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. The idea is that some women appointed to positions eventually will run for elected offices.

“It’s a long game,” Doyle said. "But we’ve got to build the pipeline; we’ve got to build the bench.”

Related video above: President Biden blasts governors for 'politicizing' masks

President Joe Biden called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona to praise them for doing “the right thing” after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections.

The White House said in a Saturday statement that the Democratic president had spoken with interim Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in Florida and Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson in Arizona “to thank them for their leadership and discuss their shared commitment to getting all students back in safe, full-time in-person learning this school year.”

“The President commended their leadership and courage to do the right thing for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, and schools,” the statement said.

Biden's phone calls of support come as tensions build over whether local school districts can and should require face coverings for students and school staff as in-person classes resume. In Texas, several school districts — along with the state’s most populous county — won temporary legal victories Friday in seeking to override Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, which they argued is making the COVID-19 pandemic worse.

Similar lawsuits by school districts in other states have also been filed.

Clashes over mandatory mask-wearing have already occurred. Officials at a suburban Chicago high school on Friday sent a freshman student home for refusing to put on a face covering, a decision her mother contends violates her 14-year-old daughter’s rights.

Sheri Urlacher said her daughter was sent home from Fremd High School in Palatine after officials at the door of the school handed her a mask and asked her to put it on. She told the Chicago Tribune she was called after her daughter “politely declined” to pull the mask up over her mouth and nose. While the girl was back in school wearing a mask later in the day, Urlacher said she was bothered by the school's initial decision to send her daughter home.

“She’s OK, but she knows she has the right to make decisions about her own body, and it’s not the right of the school and government,” she said.

The incident comes days after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, ordered face coverings for all school children from preschool through 12th grade in the hopes of slowing the spread of a virulent delta variant of the virus, which has surged in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Biden's call to the leader of the Broward County schools in Florida escalated the president's partisan battle with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over how his state's schools should operate as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the state. The Biden administration has promised Broward federal money if Florida's governor carries out a threat to withhold some state funds from any school district that imposes a mask mandate.

Using a law passed this year, DeSantis has barred schools and other local governments from imposing mask mandates. The governor has said he believes masks are not needed for children, who are less likely than adults to catch the coronavirus, and that they interfere with learning. He also has said it should be up to parents to determine if their child wears a mask. The state's board of education recently said students forced to wear masks over their parents’ objections could be eligible for a voucher that would pay for their transfer to a private school.

Broward school officials did not respond to an email Saturday seeking comment. Earlier this week, its school board voted 8-1 to impose the mask mandate over DeSantis’ objection.

DeSantis is running for reelection next year and is considering a 2024 run against Biden, with the two sniping at each other in recent weeks. His press office also did not respond to a call and email Saturday seeking comment.

Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey in June signed into law budget legislation enacted by the Republican-led Legislature to prohibit school districts from requiring mask-wearing.

Phoenix Union is one of Arizona’s largest school districts with about 28,000 students and 4,000 employees. After its governing board decided to enforce indoor mask-wearing when classes resumed Aug. 2, six elementary school districts that feed students to the high school districts followed its lead.

The Arizona legislation that includes the prohibition on mask-wearing mandates by districts takes effect Sept. 29. It includes a clause making it retroactive to July 1 but Phoenix Union contends it isn’t binding yet and that’s being argued in court.

Arizona on Saturday reported more than 3,000 additional COVID-19 cases for the second straight day. The state last reported that many additional cases six months ago as the winter surge wound down.

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Associated Press Writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed to this report.