A night of historic firsts for the 2026 midterms

Julianna Bragg

The U.S. Capitol building at night. — The U.S. Capitol on Nov. 2. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In a historic election night, winners nationwide have broken longstanding barriers, including firsts for race and sexuality.

The big picture: The results mark major milestones for representation in American politics as the nation's political landscape continues to evolve.

Here are some of the milestones:

Keisha Lance Bottoms: First Black woman elected governor

Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.

She flipped Georgia's top office to Democrats for the first time since 1998.

Donalds: First Black Republican elected governor in Florida

Byron Donalds is now Florida's first Black Republican elected governor.
It extends Republicans' decades-long run in what was once a swing state.

Haaland: First Indigenous woman elected governor of a U.S. state

Deb Haaland, who won New Mexico's gubernatorial election, has become the first Indigenous woman elected governor of a U.S. state, per AP.
She previously served as Interior secretary under President Biden, becoming the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency.

Hinojosa: Texas' first Latina governor

Gina Hinojosa will become Texas' first Latina governor after three-term Gov. Greg Abbott (R) conceded the race.
She's also the first woman to lead the state since 1995.

Pappas: First openly gay man elected to U.S. Senate

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) won New Hampshire's open Senate seat, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate.

Go deeper: Dems flip House and Senate seats as Trump rages

Editor's note: This story has been updated with details of Deb Haaland's gubernatorial win.

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