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By Megan Cartwright
Associate News Editor
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Voters across the U.S. made history in the 2026 midterms, electing candidates who broke long-standing barriers in Congress and governors’ races.
The results brought greater racial, religious and LGBTQ representation to some of the country’s most powerful elected offices, after nearly two years of a Republican administration dedicated to scrapping diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Among the biggest milestones were: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed becoming the Senate's first Muslim member, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms being elected as the first Black woman governor, and Deb Haaland winning the first female Indigenous governorship in U.S. history. Also, Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.
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Other breakthroughs came in governors’ races across the country, including victories for Byron Donalds in Florida, Gina Hinojosa in Texas, Xavier Becerra in California, Amy Acton in Ohio and David Crowley in Wisconsin.
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Historic Firsts in Governors’ Mansions
Georgia produced one of the biggest national milestones. Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, became the country's first Black woman elected governor. Her victory also returned the governor's mansion to Democrats for the first time since 1998.
In New Mexico, Democrat Haaland, a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, became the first female Indigenous governor in U.S. history. It added another first to Haaland's career after she became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018 and later served as the first Native American Cabinet secretary.
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Haaland called her win "the honor of my lifetime" in a social media post on Tuesday. "Tonight, you made history. You chose a future where New Mexico comes first, where working families have a chance to get ahead, and where every New Mexican has a voice."
Texas voters also broke a barrier by electing Democrat Hinojosa as the state's first Hispanic governor. Hinojosa, a state lawmaker and attorney, defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
California elected Xavier Becerra as its first elected Latino governor. The former congressman, state attorney general and U.S. health and human services secretary succeeded Gavin Newsom.
Republicans made history in Florida, where Donalds became the state's first Black governor. Democrats, meanwhile, saw Crowley win in Wisconsin, making him that state's first Black governor.
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"THANK YOU FLORIDA! I am humbled and grateful beyond measure," Donalds wrote on X. "As your Governor, I will give you everything I have."
In his victory note, Donalds promised to "make life in Florida more affordable," "keep our streets safe" and "invest in our young people."
"Florida is the envy of the nation. I will fight day and night to keep it that way and to lift our state to even greater heights. God Bless you, God Bless Florida, and God Bless America."
Ohio added a milestone of its own. Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, becoming the first woman elected governor of Ohio.
The Senate Broke New Ground
New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate after defeating Republican John Sununu. Pappas had 56.2 percent of the vote to Sununu's 41.9 percent, a margin of about 14.3 percentage points, with approximately 90 percent of the vote reported, per The San Francisco Chronicle.
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Michigan produced another national first, with Democrat El-Sayed becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate. He defeated Republican Mike Rogers with 52.3 percent to 45.7 percent, giving El-Sayed a lead of around 6.6 percentage points with an estimated 95 percent reported.
Following his victory, El-Sayed shared a message on social media: " It is my honor and privilege to be headed to the US Senate to serve the great state of Michigan. Michigan, we did what they said couldn’t be done. We won. Together. Now the real work begins."
Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, made history as the first Native American woman elected to the chamber. Flanagan won 53.7 percent of the vote, compared with 43.6 percent for Republican Michele Tafoya, a margin of about 10.1 percentage points, with 98.8 percent reported.
South Carolina also crossed a long-standing threshold. Democrat Annie Andrews became the first woman elected to represent the state in the U.S. Senate, winning 51.1 percent to 46.7 percent, a margin of roughly 4.4 percentage points, with 99 percent reported.
Illinois became the first state represented simultaneously in the Senate by two women of color after Julianna Stratton won her race and joined Tammy Duckworth. Stratton secured 61 percent of the vote against 37.5 percent for her Republican opponent, a commanding 23.5-point margin, with 92.5 percent reported.
New Firsts in the House
Several House races produced milestones at the state level.
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Colorado's Melat Kiros became the state's first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress nationally, while Adam Hamawy became the first Muslim congressional representative from New Jersey.
In New York, Claire Valdez became the state's first Native American woman elected to Congress. Michigan's Jeremy Moss became his state's first openly gay member of Congress.
"Thank you Oakland County," Moss shared on X. "It’s an honor to be your next Congressman."
Hakeem Jeffries Could Make History Next
One potentially historic milestone has not yet happened.
With Democrats winning the House, Hakeem Jeffries is in position to become the first Black Speaker of the House if he is formally elected when the new Congress convenes.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Trevor Davies
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