2026 Midterms Deliver Historic Wins in State and Senate Races

Election results reported on November 3 and 4 delivered historic firsts in state and federal office, including the election of Keisha Lance Bottoms as Georgia’s governor and Deb Haaland as New Mexico’s governor. The results also placed Peggy Flanagan in the U.S. Senate and made Chris Pappas the first openly gay man elected to the chamber. Some outcomes were projections or still being counted, and the supplied reports do not establish that every result is certified. Bottoms, a Democrat and former Atlanta mayor, was declared the winner of Georgia’s gubernatorial race, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. She defeated Republican Rick Jackson, according to reports of the result. Her victory also shifts Georgia’s governorship to Democrats; the office had been held by Republicans since 2002. In New Mexico, Democrat Haaland was reported elected governor, making her the first Native American woman elected to lead a U.S. state. Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, previously served as U.S. interior secretary and was among the first Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Flanagan was reported elected to the...