Photos by Executive Office of the President, U.S. House Office of Photography, HHS and Trenton Fouche (public domain), Kenneth C. Zirkel (CC BY-SA) and Taylor Dahlin (CC BY), cropped
The Lowdown
Ready or not, America: the future is female and brown, and Tuesday night proved it. The 2026 midterms produced the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state, the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. territory, the first Native American woman governor, the first Muslim U.S. senator and a pile of other firsts (AP; ABC News; Al Jazeera; Essence). We checked every one against the race calls and dropped anything we couldn’t confirm. Every call is in our 2026 midterm election live updates.
Key Takeaways
- GOVERNORS: Keisha Lance Bottoms (Georgia), Stacey Plaskett (U.S. Virgin Islands), Deb Haaland (New Mexico), Gina Hinojosa (Texas), Xavier Becerra (California), Byron Donalds (Florida), David Crowley (Wisconsin), Amy Acton (Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) and Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee) all made history (AP; ABC News; Al Jazeera).
- SENATE: Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan), Peggy Flanagan (Minnesota), Juliana Stratton (Illinois), Annie Andrews (South Carolina), Julia Letlow (Louisiana) and Chris Pappas (New Hampshire) broke barriers too (Axios; The 19th; ABC News).
- Every race below was called by the AP, except the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Plaskett won in unofficial territorial results and the outgoing governor has congratulated her (St. Thomas Source; Office of the Governor).
- Firsts cut both ways: Republicans Donalds, Blackburn and Letlow made history too (AP; Axios Nashville; KNOE).
The Governors
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia: first Black woman elected governor of a state
The former Atlanta mayor flipped Georgia’s governor’s mansion and becomes the first Black woman ever elected governor of a U.S. state, the AP reports (AP; AP). No state had ever done it before Tuesday.
Keisha Lance Bottoms; “Thank you, Georgia. I am honored to be your 84th governor.”
— Patricia Murphy (@MurphyAJC) November 3, 2026
Stacey Plaskett, U.S. Virgin Islands: first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. territory
Essence was among the first to flag this one: Plaskett, the territory’s delegate to Congress since 2015, is the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. territory and the first woman elected to lead the Virgin Islands (Essence; TheGrio). She and running mate Milton Potter took 11,865 votes, or 62.8%, in unofficial returns from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands, more than all four independent tickets combined (VI Consortium; St. Thomas Source). There’s no AP call in the territory, but outgoing Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has already congratulated the governor-elect, and results are set to be certified Nov. 13 (Office of the Governor; VI Consortium).
Essence and the VI Consortium go further and call her the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state or territory (Essence; VI Consortium). With Bottoms winning Georgia the same night, two Black women broke the same ceiling within hours of each other. Plaskett takes office Jan. 4, 2027 (TheGrio).
History has been made in the U.S. Virgin Islands! Stacey Plaskett has been elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state or territory.
— ESSENCE (@Essence) November 3, 2026
Deb Haaland, New Mexico: first Native American woman governor
The former Interior secretary, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, becomes the first Native American woman elected governor of any state, and the AP has called the race (AP; Al Jazeera). She was already the first Native American Cabinet secretary.
Thank you, New Mexico! It is the honor of my lifetime to be elected your 33rd Governor. Tonight, you made history.
— Deb Haaland (@DebHaalandNM) November 3, 2026
Gina Hinojosa, Texas: first Latina governor
The upset of the night. Hinojosa ousted three-term Gov. Greg Abbott, becoming the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since 1990 and the state’s first Latina governor (AP). Read our full story on Hinojosa toppling Greg Abbott.
Xavier Becerra, California: first elected Latino governor
The former HHS secretary and state attorney general becomes the first Latino elected governor of California in modern history, in a state where Latinos are the largest group (AP; AP).
We did it, California. Thank you. I’m honored to be your next Governor, and I’ll fight for every family in this state, every single day. Let’s get to work.
— Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) November 3, 2026
Byron Donalds, Florida: first Black governor of Florida
The Republican congressman becomes Florida’s first Black governor, the AP and ABC News report (AP; ABC News).
THANK YOU FLORIDA! I am humbled and grateful beyond measure. As your Governor, I will give you everything I have.
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 3, 2026
David Crowley, Wisconsin: first Black governor of Wisconsin
The Milwaukee County executive becomes Wisconsin’s first Black governor, according to the AP (AP; AP).
Amy Acton, Ohio: first woman elected governor, and first Jewish governor
The physician who led Ohio’s health department early in the pandemic beat Vivek Ramaswamy to become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the state’s first Jewish governor (ABC News; Al Jazeera).
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota: first woman governor of Minnesota
The longtime senator traded the Capitol for St. Paul and becomes Minnesota’s first woman governor; the AP called it at 12:42 a.m. ET (Axios; AP).
Thank you, Minnesota. I’m honored to earn your trust. Let’s get to work.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) November 4, 2026
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee: first woman governor of Tennessee
The Republican senator becomes Tennessee’s first woman governor; the AP called the race at 12:43 a.m. ET in a closer contest than many expected (Axios Nashville; WSMV).
The Senate
Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan: first Muslim U.S. senator
The physician and former Detroit health director becomes the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Senate; the AP called it at 2:27 a.m. ET after a bruising Michigan primary fight (Axios; The 19th). Our Abdul El-Sayed page has the backstory.
It is my honor and privilege to be headed to the US Senate to serve the great state of Michigan. Michigan, we did what they said couldn’t be done. We won. Together. Now the real work begins.
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) November 4, 2026
Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota: first Native American woman senator
Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, a citizen of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, becomes the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate (Axios; The 19th).
Thank you, Minnesota — for everything.
— Peggy Flanagan (@peggyflanagan) November 4, 2026
Juliana Stratton, Illinois: a Senate first for Black women
Illinois’ lieutenant governor wins her Senate seat, which means three Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time for the first time, and Illinois becomes the first state represented by two women of color (The 19th).
Thank you, Illinois. I am beyond humbled and honored to serve as your next U.S. Senator. The real work starts now — I won’t let you down.
— Juliana Stratton (@JulianaStratton) November 4, 2026
Annie Andrews, South Carolina: first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina
The pediatrician unseated Lindsey Graham and becomes the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina (The 19th; ABC News).
Julia Letlow, Louisiana: first Republican woman senator from Louisiana
The Republican congresswoman held off Democrat Jamie Davis by about 26,000 votes to become the first Republican woman elected to the Senate from Louisiana (KNOE; WWNO).
Chris Pappas, New Hampshire: first openly gay man elected to the Senate
New Hampshire’s congressman becomes the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate, ABC News and AFP report (ABC News; AFP).
Thank you, New Hampshire.
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) November 3, 2026
On Deck
With Democrats winning the House, Hakeem Jeffries is in line to become the first Black speaker of the House if his caucus elects him in January (AP). That vote hasn’t happened yet, so he goes in the on-deck circle, not the record book.
This is a red, white and blue moment.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) November 4, 2026
The Pit Take
In our opinion, this is the most important picture to come out of election night. The people now running statehouses and Senate seats look a lot more like the country that elected them, and that happened in red states and blue states, for Democrats and Republicans. Florida elected its first Black governor as a Republican. Tennessee and Louisiana sent Republican women into history. Firsts aren’t a party platform.
The next part is harder. Being first gets you a headline; it doesn’t pass a budget. Plaskett has to turn a landslide into results across St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, El-Sayed walks into a Senate that has never had a Muslim member, and Bottoms has to govern a state she just flipped. Ready or not, America. Follow the rest of the night in our 2026 midterm election live updates.
The Background
How we built this list: every winner here was called by the AP or, in the Virgin Islands, posted by the territory’s election system, and every “first” is backed by at least one outlet linked in that section. One widely shared claim didn’t make the cut because other reporting contradicts it, and races that are still uncalled will have to wait. For the stars and storylines we were watching coming into the night, see our pop culture guide to the 2026 midterms. More politics-meets-culture lives in Zeitgeist, and the whole night is under 2026 Midterms.
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Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2026.
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More Context
- AP — The historic firsts of the 2026 midterm elections ↗
- ABC News — Candidates who made history in the 2026 midterm elections ↗
- Al Jazeera — Firsts for women and minorities in the US midterm elections ↗
- AFP — Historic leadership firsts for minorities across US midterm vote ↗
- Axios — The firsts that reshaped American politics on midterm night ↗
- The 19th — Women who won U.S. Senate races in 2026 ↗
- AP — Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Georgia governor’s race ↗
- ESSENCE — Stacey Plaskett makes history as the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. territory ↗
- TheGrio — Stacey Plaskett elected first woman governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands ↗
- The Virgin Islands Consortium — Stacey Plaskett makes American history, wins USVI in landslide ↗
- St. Thomas Source — Plaskett wins historic governor’s race ↗
- Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands — Governor Bryan congratulates Governor-elect Stacey Plaskett ↗
- AP — Xavier Becerra wins California governor’s race ↗
- AP — Race call: Byron Donalds wins Florida governor ↗
- AP — David Crowley wins Wisconsin governor’s race ↗
- Axios Nashville — Marsha Blackburn wins, will be Tennessee’s first woman governor ↗
- WSMV — Marsha Blackburn becomes first woman elected Tennessee governor ↗
- KNOE — Julia Letlow becomes Louisiana’s first Republican woman elected to U.S. Senate ↗
- WWNO — Julia Letlow narrowly wins Louisiana U.S. Senate seat ↗