Voters in ten states made history on Tuesday with their choices for governor, as a wave of barrier-breaking wins swept from Georgia to Ohio. What remains undisputed is the scope: Americans elected the country’s first Black woman governor, the first Native American woman governor, the first Latina to lead Texas, and historic firsts in Florida, Nevada, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Minnesota, and California.
Keisha Lance Bottoms and Deb Haaland Set National Precedents
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, 56, will become the nation’s first Black woman elected governor of any state when she takes office in January. The former Atlanta mayor, who served from 2018 to 2022 before becoming an adviser to former President Joe Biden, defeated Republican billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson to become the first Democrat to win a governor’s race in the Peach State in more than two decades.
Meanwhile, in New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland—who is of Pueblo Indian descent—will be the first Native American woman to serve as governor. Haaland, who defeated Republican Gregg Hull, previously made history as one of the first Native American women elected to Congress and later as the first Native American cabinet secretary when she served as Interior Secretary under Biden.
Latino Governors Break Barriers in California and Texas
Democrat Xavier Becerra will become the first elected Latino governor of California when he takes office, succeeding Governor Gavin Newsom after handily defeating Republican Steve Hilton, a political outsider. Becerra, a former California attorney general and former member of Congress who served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, represents a continuation of Democratic leadership in the nation’s most populous state.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a Texas state representative, defeated incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott—one of the country’s most influential governors and an ally of President Trump—to become the first Latina governor of Texas and the first Democratic governor in more than 30 years. Her win follows a demographic shift in the state, which has seen a surge in its Latino population.
Florida, Nevada, and Wisconsin Elect First Black Governors
Republican Byron Donalds will become Florida’s first Black governor after defeating Democrat David Jolly. Donalds, who has been in Congress since 2021 and served two terms in the state legislature, had the backing of President Trump and a hefty election war chest. He campaigned on affordability and promised to continue the conservative politics of outgoing Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
Democrat Aaron Ford, Nevada’s attorney general, unseated Republican Governor Joe Lombardo to become the first Black governor of a state west of the Mississippi River. Ford, who was first elected to the state legislature in 2012 and before that practiced law privately and taught math, previously served as Nevada’s first Black Senate majority leader and first Black attorney general.
In Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, defeated Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany—whose campaign massively outspent Crowley’s—to become the Badger State’s first Black governor. Crowley had actually suspended his campaign during the primary but reentered it with the support of outgoing Governor Tony Evers after the candidate Crowley backed dropped out, running on his record as a “deal maker” who can work across the political aisle.
Three Women Shatter Glass Ceilings in Tennessee, Minnesota, and Ohio
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn became the first woman to win a gubernatorial race in Tennessee, defeating Democrat Jerri Green and multiple independent candidates in a contest that proved narrower than expected. Blackburn’s campaign focused on curtailing immigration, confronting China, and cutting wasteful government spending.
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar will become Minnesota’s first woman governor in January after defeating Republican Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Demuth, like Green in Tennessee, would also have been the first woman governor of her state had she won.
Perhaps the night’s biggest upset came in Ohio, where Democrat Amy Acton—who served as the state’s chief public health officer during the pandemic—is poised to become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the state’s first Jewish governor. Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in an election marked in the final weeks by vicious mudslinging and an attack ad that garnered national criticism, becoming the first Democrat to serve in the office in two decades.
Most of these new governors will be sworn in come January, taking control of statehouses that will shape policy on everything from redistricting to reproductive rights for years to come.
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