Historic Black victories span the nation in 2026 midterms, from governors to Congress, along with many other key firsts; watch election-night coverage now
Updated November 6, 2026 - Reported results available as of 3:29 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
By Black Headline News
Five Black governors will serve simultaneously for the first time in U.S. history.
Watch or listen to part 1 of the November 3 midterm election-night coverage and commentary with news hosts Julia Ann Dudley Najieb, Brigitte Jones, and Cheryl Smith, featuring special guests, Fred Jordan, Sr. of the San Francisco African American Chamber and Sheldon Williams of the Legacy of Black American International Advocacy.
Historic victories by African-American candidates stretched across the United States in the November 3 midterm elections, with breakthroughs in governors’ offices, Congress and statewide leadership. As of November 6, reporting identified gubernatorial wins by Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Byron Donalds in Florida, David Crowley in Wisconsin and Aaron Ford in Nevada, alongside Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s reelection. Other milestones included Juliana Stratton’s U.S. Senate victory in Illinois and Melat Kiros’ election to the House from Colorado. (These are reported or projected outcomes, not a statement that every race has been certified. CBS News reporting; Joint Center election overview.)
Key African-American Firsts
Keisha Lance Bottoms (D, Georgia) – First Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and first woman governor of Georgia. She also became Georgia’s first Black governor CBS News+2.
Byron Donalds (R, Florida) – First Black governor of Florida and the first Black Republican elected governor in U.S. history
David Crowley (D, Wisconsin) – First Black governor of Wisconsin
Aaron Ford (D, Nevada) – First Black governor of Nevada
These four wins mean five Black governors will serve simultaneously for the first time in U.S. history
In Georgia, ABC News projected Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, to defeat Republican businessman Rick Jackson. The result would make Bottoms the first Black woman elected governor of any American state, a breakthrough with national significance. It also returns Georgia’s governorship to Democrats for the first time since the party’s last gubernatorial election victory in 1998. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was term-limited, leaving the office open in a closely watched contest. ABC News reporting.
Bottoms’ victory also makes her Georgia’s first woman governor. Together with the other gubernatorial winners, her election opens a new chapter in Black executive leadership: the Joint Center reported that five Black governors are expected to serve simultaneously in January, something the country has never previously seen. The milestone includes both new officeholders and Moore, who became Maryland’s first Black governor after his 2022 election. CBS News reporting; Joint Center election overview.
Florida produced a historic victory on the Republican side. CBS News reported that U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won the governorship, making him Florida’s first Black governor and the first Black Republican elected governor in the nation. He will succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donalds’ win and Bottoms’ breakthrough belong to different partisan stories, but both expand Black representation in statewide executive office. CBS News reporting.
In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany to become the state’s first Black governor. His victory extends the election’s gubernatorial breakthroughs into the Midwest. Joint Center election overview; CBS News reporting.
In Nevada, Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo in a race CBS News called Thursday, November 5. Ford will become Nevada’s first Black governor and the first Black governor elected in a state west of the Mississippi River, according to CBS. His result broadens the story beyond the election-night calls included in the earlier version of this article. CBS News reporting.
Maryland voters reelected Democrat Wes Moore to a second term. Unlike the first-time barrier breakers in Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin and Nevada, Moore’s win continues an existing historic governorship while contributing to the unprecedented group of Black governors expected to serve together. CBS News reporting; Joint Center election overview.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the open U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican Don Tracy to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. She becomes the second Black woman elected to represent Illinois in the Senate. The Joint Center’s November 6 update also listed New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker as reelected and described Black Senate representation as reaching a record level, while noting that Mississippi’s race involving Democrat Scott Colom remained unresolved. Colom is not included here as a confirmed winner. Black Enterprise reporting; Joint Center election overview.
In Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, Melat Kiros won election to the U.S. House, becoming the first Black woman Colorado has sent to Congress. Her victory is a state-level representation milestone distinct from the gubernatorial firsts. Joint Center election overview.
Other new House seats won by Black candidates included Adrian Boafo in Maryland, Lakesha Womack and Cyril Jefferson in North Carolina, and Donavan McKinney in Michigan, according to the Joint Center. Those gains extend the national picture beyond the most prominent historic firsts. The organization nevertheless cautioned that Black representation in the House could decline overall as other seats move to non-Black members; individual breakthroughs do not necessarily mean a net increase across every institution. Joint Center election overview.
Georgia’s breakthroughs reached beyond the governor’s mansion. Penny Brown Reynolds became the first Black person elected secretary of state, defeating Republican Tim Fleming. Tanya Miller defeated Republican Brian Strickland to become the first woman—and the second Black person—to serve as Georgia attorney general. Educator Lydia Powell was also poised to become the first Black woman to lead the state’s public school system as state school superintendent. These victories broaden Black women’s representation across election administration, legal leadership and public education. Georgia Recorder reporting in The Current.
Other Notable African-American Wins in 2026
Other African-American candidates also achieved historic milestones:
Juliana Stratton (Illinois, Lt. Governor) – Second Black woman elected to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, joining Sen. Tammy Duckworth .
Melat Kiros (Colorado, U.S. House) – First Black woman to represent Colorado in the U.S. House of Representatives
Adrienne Adams (New York, Lt. Governor-Elect) - First Black woman elected as lieutenant governor of New York
In New York, Adrienne Adams won election as lieutenant governor alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, becoming the state’s first Black woman elected to that office. Their victory also produced New York’s first all-woman governor–lieutenant governor ticket elected to lead the state. Adams previously served as New York City Council speaker. EEW Magazine reporting.
Another potential first remains separate from the election victories: Hakeem Jeffries becoming the nation’s first Black speaker of the U.S. House. Post-election reporting positioned the House Democratic leader for that milestone, but a congressional majority does not itself elect a speaker. As of this update, the prospective speakership should be treated as a future leadership decision, not an office Jeffries had already secured through the November 3 vote. ABC7 New York reporting.
Texas’ biggest executive-office breakthrough belonged to Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, projected to
defeat Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and become the state’s first Latina governor. KUT reported that The Associated Press called the race Tuesday night and that Abbott conceded. Hinojosa, an Austin legislator and former school board president, campaigned on public education and the rising cost of living. Her victory makes her the first Democrat elected Texas governor since Ann Richards in 1990. ABC News reporting; KUT reporting.
In Texas’ Senate contest, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to an AP call reported by The Texas Tribune. The victory marks the first Democratic U.S. Senate election win in Texas since 1988. Talarico, an Austin state representative and former middle school teacher, will succeed Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Unlike the racial representation milestones in Georgia and Florida, this result is historic principally for breaking a longstanding partisan barrier in a major statewide race. Texas Tribune reporting; KUT reporting.
The Texas results remain important context, but they represent different kinds of history: Hinojosa’s breakthrough is a Latina representation milestone, while Talarico’s victory breaks a longstanding partisan barrier. Neither should be counted among African-American candidates’ victories.
Taken together, the reported wins show African-American candidates breaking barriers across the South, Midwest, Northeast and West, with gubernatorial firsts, a Senate milestone and new representation in Congress and statewide offices. This update highlights documented national breakthroughs and additional congressional gains; it is not an exhaustive roster of every Black candidate elected to state or local office. Results and projections may be updated as counting and certification proceed, while the Mississippi Senate contest and Jeffries’ prospective speakership remain developments to watch rather than completed victories.
Sources:
CBS News reporting; Joint Center election overview; Georgia Recorder reporting in The Current; EEW Magazine reporting; ABC7 New York reporting.
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