Voters on Tuesday elected record numbers of women and Black Americans as governors. Georgia's Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the nation's first Black woman governor, part of an election in which Democrats flipped both the House and Senate.
Five Black candidates won governor's races, the most ever to serve at the same time. Bottoms will also be Georgia's first Democratic governor since 1998.
Wisconsin and Nevada each chose a Black governor for the first time. Wisconsin picked David Crowley, a former county executive who pitched himself as a centrist Democrat, while Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, unseated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Not every milestone went to Democrats. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds won his governor's race and will be the first Black Republican ever elected to lead a state.
Women will occupy 17 governorships in 2027, topping the prior high of 14 set in 2025, the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University said.
Among them is Democrat Deb Haaland, who won in New Mexico and becomes the first Indigenous woman elected governor in the U.S. A member of the Pueblo of Laguna, she was already the first Native American Cabinet secretary, a distinction she earned in 2021.
In Texas, where Democrats swept, Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's bid for a fourth term and will be the state's first Latina governor. Minnesota elected its first woman governor, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Ohio voters chose Dr. Amy Acton, the state's former health director, who will be its first woman and first Jewish governor. She beat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who late in the race defended an ad in which Acton's estranged mother called her a liar.
Firsts in the Senate
Three Democratic senators-elect will break barriers when the 120th Congress is sworn in in January. New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas will be the first openly gay elected senator, and Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed will be the first Muslim senator.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will be the first Native American woman in the Senate. Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola, an Alaska Native, could join her, though her race remained too close to call Wednesday.
Caucuses gain members
In Mississippi, another tight contest, Democrat Scott Colom would be the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction if he unseats Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Democratic-aligned caucuses are also expanding. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will climb from 44 members to more than 50, with six of its newcomers taking seats away from Republicans in Texas, Nevada, Colorado, California and Arizona.
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will add at least four members, reaching a record 22, said its chair, Rep. Grace Meng. An uncalled Arizona House race would push that to 23 if Democrat Amish Shah prevails.
Last night’s election was a resounding repudiation of President Trump and his failed policies that put the safety, security, and civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders at risk
Rep. Grace Meng, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
After Tuesday, Democrats will hold 28 governorships to the Republicans' 20, with two contests still undecided.
