US midterms deliver historic firsts for Black, Native, and Muslim candidates

The 2026 US midterm elections produced historic firsts, with Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the first Black woman elected governor in Georgia and Deb Haaland the first Native American woman elected governor in New Mexico. In Texas, Gina Hinojosa became the first Latina governor, while James Talarico won a Senate seat for Democrats for the first time since 1988. Other milestones include Abdul El-Sayed as the first Muslim senator and Chris Pappas as the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. Additional records were set across states, including the first Democratic senator in Kansas since 1932 and first Black governor in Wisconsin. Republican firsts included Byron Donalds in Florida and Julia Letlow in Louisiana.