Democrats win governorships in four states, gain ground

Democratic candidates won governorships in Georgia, Texas, Iowa and Ohio, while also securing victories in Wisconsin, giving the party substantial gains in the 2026 elections. The results put Democrats on course to hold a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010, although reports differed on how many Republican-held seats had been flipped and some races remained pending at publication. The winners in the four states were Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Gina Hinojosa in Texas, Rob Sand in Iowa and Amy Acton in Ohio. Their victories were reported through preliminary results, candidate concessions and projections; final certified totals were not available in the accounts of several races. Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, defeated Republican Rick Jackson, according to preliminary Georgia results with all localities reporting. She received 54.26% of the vote to Jackson’s 45.74%, and Jackson conceded. Bottoms is set to become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States and the first woman to govern Georgia. In Texas, state representative Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, according to preliminary results reported with 31% of polling...