Murray: Glass Ceiling In Mass. Politics Must Be Dismantled

BOSTON (CBS) --- Despite its liberal reputation, Massachusetts has trailed many other states in the number of women attaining high political power.

As Senate President Therese Murray prepares to leave Beacon Hill, she's still agitating for more change.

She says even though she cracked the glass ceiling, she still believes women are second-class citizens in Massachusetts politics.

She campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton and was infuriated when her colleagues backed Barack Obama.

"When is it our turn? When is it the turn of women to be at the helm, qualified women, not somebody who's coming out of a particular state with crazy ideas or popularity for some other reasons, but when is it gonna be our turn? When are people gonna actually look at us and say 'yeah, you have the credentials?'" she asked.

Murray got a measure of revenge when Clinton won the state primary and she earned the respect of the heavily-male Beacon Hill culture during her 7-year-run as Senate president.

"People say I'm tough. well, you know what? I am. If people come here and they're not prepared or they lie to me, you're gone, I don't want to see you again," she said.

But despite her success and the recent election of our first female U.S. senator, Murray says she won't be satisfied until she sees the glass ceiling in Massachusetts politics completely dismantled.

"I hope there will be other women who follow to the presidency here and someday in the house and someday in the governor's office, maybe this year," Murray said.

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