WASHINGTON — Winners of more than a dozen congressional and gubernatorial races have broken longstanding barriers of race, gender and sexuality. 

The results set records for the most Black governors and most women governors, and the first Black woman governor, Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Democrats, who flipped the U.S. House and Senate, had more historic firsts, though Rep. Byron Donalds will become the first elected Black Republican governor in the country after winning his race in Florida. 

Nevada and Wisconsin also elected their first Black governors. 

Seventeen women will serve as governor in 2027, breaking the previous record of 14 in 2025, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. 

That includes Democrat Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna who made history in 2021 as the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Haaland won her race in New Mexico, making her the first Indigenous woman to be elected governor in the U.S.  

And three Democratic senators-elect will make history once they are sworn in for the 120th Congress in January. 

In New Hampshire, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas will be the first openly gay elected senator. Michigan elected the first Muslim senator, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and Minnesota voters made Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan the first Native American woman senator, who could be joined by Alaska Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, an Alaska Native whose Senate race was too close to call Wednesday. 

Another tight Senate race is in Mississippi, where Democratic candidate Scott Colom could become the first Black senator from the state since the Reconstruction era if he defeats GOP incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Race-based caucuses expand

Tuesday’s historic wins also means growth for certain caucuses aligned with Democrats. 

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will grow to more than 50 members from 44. Six incoming members of the all-Democratic caucus flipped Republican-held seats in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will gain at least four new members, growing to the largest size in its history at 22 members, Rep. Grace Meng, chair of the caucus said in a statement.

A House race in Arizona that has not been called would give the caucus 23 members if Democratic candidate Amish Shah wins.

“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,” Meng said. 

Record-setting women

Following Tuesday’s election, Democrats will control 28 governorships compared to 20 for Republicans, with two results still unknown. 

Several will be their states’ first elected women governors.

“This was an impressive result for women in American politics, with women setting records and breaking significant barriers around the nation,” the Center for American Women and Politics Director Debbie Walsh said in a statement. “I’m particularly encouraged to see an increase in the number of women governors.” 

In Minnesota, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will become the state’s first woman governor. 

As part of a Democratic sweep of Texas, the Lone Star State elected its first Latina governor, Gina Hinojosa, who ousted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott seeking his fourth term.

And in Ohio, Dr. Amy Acton will become the Buckeye State’s first woman and first Jewish governor. 

Acton, who served as Ohio’s health director, defeated her Republican challenger Vivek Ramaswamy, who in the closing weeks of the campaign stood by a political ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her daughter a liar. Acton was removed from her mother’s custody after her stepfather was indicted for sexually abusing her as a child.  

Black governors

Five Black governors won their races on Election Day, setting a record for the most Black governors in office at once. 

Bottoms, Georgia’s first Democratic governor since 1998, will be the first Black person and first woman governor of Georgia.  

In Wisconsin, voters elected their first Black governor, David Crowley, a former county executive who billed himself as a centrist Democrat.

And in Nevada, Aaron Ford, a Democrat and the state’s attorney general, ousted Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. 

Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore easily won his reelection bid. 

Democrats have won the majority of governor’s offices for the first time in 16 years after the GOP racked up major losses across the country.

Democrats flipped governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas and defended competitive races in Maine, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ.

As of 10 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Democrats were set to hold 28 governor’s offices compared with Republicans’ 20. Races in Alaska and Kansas have not yet been called.

In a historic night, voters elected a record number of four Black governors, including the first Black woman and first Black Republican ever elected governor.

Midterms are always tough for the party that holds the White House, but high prices and growing disapproval of President Donald Trump delivered even stronger than expected results for Democrats Tuesday.

“It’s a blue wave that was bigger than anyone had expected, and it’s having consequences across the country, including here in Texas,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. “Overall, Donald Trump has single-handedly turned many red states blue — or at least purple.”

By late Tuesday, Democrats had won races for attorney general and lieutenant governor for the first time in decades and flipped the Texas House.

“One of the real questions will be what do Democrats do with this power, and will they be able to retain it,” he said. “This has effectively opened a door for Democrats across the country.”

Gubernatorial races proved historic for both Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday with the election of the nation’s first Black woman governor and the first Black Republican governor.

But the Democratic party made major gains coast to coast, particularly in reliably conservative states, that could reshape state policy for years to come.

In Iowa, the election of Democrat Rob Sand ends more than a decade of Republican control of the legislature and the governor’s office.

In Ohio, Democrat Dr. Amy Acton’s win marks the first time in 20 years that Ohio voters have selected a Democrat to lead the Buckeye State.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will become Georgia’s first Democratic governor since 2002 and the nation’s first Black woman governor.

While governors were on ballots in 36 states, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter had only identified a dozen races for governor as competitive. Those included: Alaska, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin.

Republicans have controlled a majority of state governments since 2010. Before Tuesday’s election, Republicans boasted a 26-24 gubernatorial advantage over Democrats. But the GOP’s state legislative advantage was even stronger, with Republicans controlling 28 state legislatures and Democrats controlling 18 with divided control of chambers in three states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

By Wednesday morning, Democrats had notched major legislative wins. Democrats broke the GOP supermajority in Florida, flipped control of the Wisconsin state Assembly and Senate, and flipped the North Carolina state House.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats won the GOP-held state Senate, seizing  a trifecta – control of the governor’s office and both chambers of the legislature – in Harrisburg.

“Tonight’s earth-shattering victory is undeniable proof that voters are fed up with the MAGA agenda,” Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said in a news release.

In Arizona, Democrats declared victory in a yearslong effort to win control of the legislature, proclaiming that Republicans would be in the minority at the state Capitol for the first time in 60 years.

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org.