GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Bennett has experienced a lot of backlash thanks to his recent comments that he wouldn’t appoint Cindy McCain to the U.S. Senate if John McCain isn’t able to complete his current term. Despite what Bennett said, there are a lot of examples in the nation’s history — most of them in the 20th century — of a widow succeeding her husband in Congress.

To learn more about the impact of those women and whether we could see more in the future, The Show turned to Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers-Camden and scholar at the university’s Center for American Women and Politics Kelly Dittmar.