Midterms launch wave of historic firsts for some states — and for the
nation
[November 04, 2026]
By TERRY TANG
Yes, the 2026 midterms will be remembered for the astonishing number of
losses that Democrats handed to President Donald Trump. But in the
background, something perhaps equally seismic unfolded: a wave of firsts
that elevated into high office members of groups that had, until now,
been kept largely at the margins.
There were cheers and happy tears at election parties from New Mexico to
Georgia late Tuesday once it became clear voters had elected the
country's first Black female governor, the first Native American female
governor, the first Native female senator and the first openly gay male
U.S. senator. By early Wednesday, the first Muslim U.S. senator was also
added to the list of barrier-breaking milestones. The astonishing blue
wave also means the United States will likely have its first-ever Black
speaker of the House.
Most of these firsts are Democrats, but the GOP has also broken some new
ground.
While some of these candidates have avoided focusing on the inherent
historic value of their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation,
some voters' rights advocates are celebrating how the electorate has
expanded.
“These firsts show how our country is changing,” Alexis Anderson-Reed,
president and CEO of State Voices, a network of advocates for civic
engagement and equity in democracy, said via e-mail.
“For years, people of color and LGBTQ+ communities have organized,
knocked on doors, talked to voters, held conversations, and done the
hard work of saving our democracy," Anderson-Reed said. "These wins are
because of them.”
Here are some of the races where history was and could be made.
First Native American female governor
Democrat Deb Haaland reveled in her history-making moment of becoming
the first Native American female governor in U.S. history. Haaland was
declared the winner over Republican Gregg Hull, a former mayor, to lead
New Mexico.
The Laguna Pueblo citizen noted that Native Americans are still here
despite past efforts by the federal government to strip them of their
languages and culture.
“Tonight, in our nation's 250th year, I stand before you as the first
Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history,” Haaland told
ecstatic supporters at a victory celebration.
In 2018, Haaland was one of the first two Native American women elected
to Congress. Then she became the first Native American Cabinet
secretary, running President Joe Biden’s Department of the Interior.
Charles Curtis, from the Kaw Nation, was the first Native Cabinet member
as President Herbert Hoover’s vice president.
Oklahoma was the only state to elect a tribal citizen for governor —
Democrat Johnston Murray in the 1950s and current Republican Gov. Kevin
Stitt.
"I want every child watching to know that your dreams matter and that
New Mexico is a place where you can build the life you want,” Haaland
said, adding that she is living proof.
First Native woman senators
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has become the first Native American
female U.S. senator, helping Democrats win back the Senate. A citizen of
the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan defeated Republican Michele
Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter.
Tafoya would have been the first Republican of Latina heritage to sit in
the U.S. Senate.
Mary Peltola, who is Yup’ik and a Democrat, could also become the first
Alaska Native U.S. senator. Votes in her race to unseat Republican
incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan are still being tabulated.
Peltola was considered a trailblazer in 2022 when she became the first
Alaska Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
First Black female governor
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was declared the winner Tuesday night in
the Georgia governor's race, ending 250 years of U.S. history without a
Black woman elected as a state's governor. The former Atlanta mayor was
running against Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire businessman.
“Tonight should remind us all that no matter what community we come
from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person,”
Bottoms told euphoric supporters. “It's been defined by all of us, and I
will be a governor for everyone in this state."
She will also be Georgia’s first governor of color. All 83 of Georgia’s
previous governors have been white men.
Lisa Demuth, however, lost an opportunity to be the first Black female
governor. The former Minnesota House speaker was overtaken by longtime
Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Stacey Abrams had been the only Black woman to come close to winning a
governor's race when she got the Georgia Democratic Party's nomination
in 2018 and 2022.
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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a
campaign rally at the Majestic Theatre, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in
Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
First Muslim US senator
Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim American to serve in the
U.S. Senate.
The contentious race to be Michigan's next senator was called for
him early Wednesday morning. The race between the progressive
Michigan Democrat and Republican Mike Rogers has grabbed attention
nationally, especially after El-Sayed's primary opponent endorsed
Rogers.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” El-Sayed told
a Detroit crowd. “Thank you. This is all yours.”
El-Sayed has had to contend with Republicans all the way up to Trump
implying or overtly stating that the Michigan-born epidemiologist is
not American and supports terrorism. Trump has called him
“dangerously radical" and “too extreme” and referred to him as
“Mohammed." El-Sayed and his supporters have denounced the attacks
as Islamophobic or racist affronts to religious freedom.
First openly gay male US senator
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas won his U.S. Senate race in New
Hampshire and will become the country’s first openly gay male
senator. He defeated former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, a Republican
who previously served in both chambers of Congress.
This new benchmark is not something Pappas has dwelled on while
campaigning, saying, “I’m not running to make history.” But he also
applauded the fact that his sexual orientation was not a huge source
of discussion among potential voters.
First Black and Latino governors
The U.S. went from having only three elected Black governors in its
250-year history to gaining several more overnight.
On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the third one in the U.S. and
the only current Black governor, won reelection, while Republican
Byron Donalds and Democrat David Crowley were elected as the first
Black governor in Florida and Wisconsin, respectively. With Bottoms'
victory in Georgia, two Deep South states will be governed by a
Black leader for the first time.
Moore, chair of the National Governors Association, has called the
presence of so many Black gubernatorial contenders “a unique
moment.” It's not “an applause line” but a challenge to make diverse
gubernatorial nominees more common, he said.
Latinos, both Democrats, will take on the highest state office in
two of the biggest states. Texas voters rejected Gov. Greg Abbott in
favor of Gina Hinojosa, who will be the state's first Latina
governor. Xavier Becerra, former California attorney general,
outpaced Republican Steve Hilton. He will be California's first
Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco in 1875.
Record year of women running for governor and Congress
This midterm has been a record-breaker for women vying for state and
federal offices. Democrats increased their 2022 number of female
candidates to 19 running for governor, according to the Center for
American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The Republican
Party had seven women setting their sights on governor.
Like Minnesota, Tennessee elected its first female governor.
Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn beat Democrat Jerri Green, a
Memphis city councilwoman.
Nearly 300 women, including incumbents, were running for the U.S.
Senate and House, as documented by Rutgers' Center for American
Women and Politics.
Among them was Democrat Juliana Stratton in Illinois, who defeated
Republican Don Tracy on Tuesday. Stratton, the current lieutenant
governor, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. With
fellow Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is of Thai heritage, the
pair will make Illinois the first state to be represented by two
female senators of color. Stratton's win also means there will be
three Black women serving in the Senate.
___
Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Susan
Montoya Bryan and Savannah Peters in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
contributed to this report.
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