The 2026 midterm elections came with a wave of history-making wins. See every historic first.

Gina Hinojosa is the first Latina elected governor of the state of Texas. Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images The midterms' blue tsunami was full of surprises — and a long list of historic firsts.Democratic candidates for the US House, Senate, and governorships swept wins across the US on Tuesday night, including in many long-held Republican states like Texas and South Carolina.Four states elected their first-ever Black governors, and four also elected a woman governor for the first time. In Georgia, it was both, with Keisha Lance Bottoms making history as the first Black woman elected governor in any US state.For the first time in US history, five Black governors will serve simultaneously, and at least 17 women will serve as US state governors simultaneously.While races in Alaska and Mississippi remain undecided, see the full list of every historic win in the 2026 midterm elections so far. Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), Georgia Keisha Lance Bottoms. Megan Varner/Getty Images Democratic Keisha Lance Bottoms is now the first Black woman elected governor in US history after defeating Republican Rick Jackson.She is also Georgia's first Black governor and first woman governor. Byron Donalds (R), Florida Byron Donalds. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Byron Donalds is now the first Black Republican elected governor in US history and Florida's first Black governor. Deb Haaland (D), New Mexico Deb Haaland. Sam Wasson/Getty Images Deb Haaland is now the first Native American woman elected governor in US history and New Mexico's first Native American governor after defeating Republican Gregg Hull. David Crowley (D), Wisconsin David Crowley. John Moore/Getty Images David Crowley is now Wisconsin's first Black governor after defeating Republican Tom Tiffany. Aaron Ford (D), Nevada Aaron Ford. Ethan Miller/Getty Images Former Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is now Nevada's first Black governor after defeating the Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo. Gina Hinojosa (D), Texas Gina Hinojosa. Joel Angel Juarez/Getty Images Gina Hinojosa is now Texas' first Latina governor, defeating incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and the first Democratic governor elected in the state since Ann Richards in 1990. Xavier Becerra (D), California Xavier Becerra. Caroline Brehman/Bloomberg via Getty Images Xavier Becerra is now California's first elected Latino governor, succeeding Gavin Newsom. Amy Acton (D), Ohio Amy Acton. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Democratic candidate Amy Acton is now Ohio's first woman elected governor after defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Marsha Blackburn (R), Tennessee Marsha Blackburn Michael Swensen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Marsha Blackburn is now Tennessee's first elected woman governor.She was the first woman elected to represent the state in the Senate in 2018. Amy Klobuchar (D), Minnesota Amy Klobuchar. Dymanh Chhoun/Sahan Journal/Catchlight via Getty Images Amy Klobuchar was elected as Minnesota's first woman governor.In 2006, she became the first woman from the state to be elected to the US Senate. Kathy Hochul (D) and Adrienne Adams (D), New York Adrienne Adams and Kathy Hochul. Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg via Getty Images Kathy Hochul and Adrienne Adams are now New York's first all-woman governor-lieutenant governor ticket, and Adams is New York's first Black woman lieutenant governor.Hochul became the state's first woman governor after taking office in 2021. Abdul El-Sayed (D), Michigan Abdul El-Sayed. Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim senator in US history. Peggy Flanagan (D), Minnesota Peggy Flanagan. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota will become the first Native American woman US senator and Minnesota's first Native American senator. Chris Pappas (D), New Hampshire Chris Pappas. Joseph Prezioso/Getty Images Chris Pappas is the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate.In his acceptance speech, he thanked his supporters and his husband, Vann Bentley, whom he married in 2023. Annie Andrews (D), South Carolina Annie Andrews. Win McNamee/Getty Images Annie Andrews became the first woman elected to the US Senate representing South Carolina.She defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was appointed to fill his seat after he died in July. Juliana Stratton (D), Illinois Juliana Stratton. Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images Juliana Stratton is Illinois' second Black woman elected to the US Senate. Alongside Tammy Duckworth, she makes Illinois the first state to be represented by two women of color in the Senate.Her victory means three Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time — another historic first. Melat Kiros (D), Colorado Melat Kiros. AAron Ontiveroz/Getty Images Melat Kiros is the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress, representing Colorado's 1st congressional District. She is 29 years old. Adam Hamawy (D), New Jersey Adam Hamawy. DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images Representing New Jersey's 12th District, Adam Hamawy is the Garden State's first Muslim member of Congress. Claire Valdez (D), New York Claire Valdez. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images Claire Valdez made history as New York's first Native American woman elected to Congress, representing New York's 7th District. Jeremy Moss (D), Michigan Jeremy Moss. JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty Images Jeremy Moss, elected to represent Michigan's 11th District, made history as Michigan's first openly gay member of Congress. Denise Powell (D), Nebraska Denise Powell. Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images It was also a historic night for Denise Powell, who became Nebraska's first Hispanic member of Congress. She will represent the state's 2nd District. Five Black governors will serve simultaneously for the first time in US history. Keisha Lance Bottoms. Paras Griffin/Getty Images They are Democrats Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, David Crowley of Wisconsin, Aaron Ford of Nevada, and Wes Moore of Maryland, plus Republican Byron Donalds of Florida. Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Kristine Villarroel is a reporter on Business Insider's Editorial Partnerships team.Her reporting often turns data into accessible stories about how money, education, policy, and place shape Americans’ lives. She covers stories on college costs and degree outcomes, state-by-state comparisons, public officials’ salaries, the rising cost of living, travel, food, and real estate.She has previously worked writing about culture, entertainment, music, and tech. Her work has been featured on Teen Vogue and Wired. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. There, she worked as editor of The Independent Florida Alligator. Email Villarroel at kvillarroel@insider.com and follow her on X @ktnedelvalle Erin McDowell is a senior reporter on Business Insider's editorial partnerships team. She covers food, lifestyle, and entertainment for Business Insider and its partner sites, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She graduated from Elon University in January 2019, where she studied strategic communications and digital art. She has written for V Magazine, Milk.XYZ, OUT.com, Brides Magazine, and more. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Politics Elections