Winners up and down the 2026 ballot will make history this year, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, including the first Black woman governor, the first Muslim elected to the US Senate and the first out gay male US senator.
As President Donald Trump takes on the latter half of his second term, both parties will welcome a diverse group of newly elected lawmakers at the state and national level.
Read more about the candidates who are projected to boast the moniker of “first.”
Here are the gubernatorial candidates who made history in the 2026 midterms
Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to become the first Black governor of Georgia, the first female governor of Georgia and the first female Black governor in US history.
Bottoms, who served as Atlanta mayor between 2018 and 2022, was among the women whom President Joe Biden considered as a running mate in the 2020 election. She later joined his administration. Bottoms beat out Trump-endorsed Rick Jackson, making expanding Medicaid coverage, homeowner tax relief and increasing education funding the key pillars of her campaign.
Rep. Byron Donalds is projected to become the first Black governor of Florida. He campaigned on tax reforms, regulating data centers and supporting Trump’s agenda in a state that has become more solidly red. He was bolstered early in the race with a full-throated Trump endorsement.
Donalds defeated David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who became a Democrat last year and tried to appeal to voters as a pragmatic centrist.
Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa is projected to become the first Hispanic governor of Texas, unseating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott who served almost 12 years in office. The two candidates clashed over culture issues, including abortion, during the campaign.
Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state lawmaker and attorney, will be the first Democrat elected governor since Ann Richards in 1990 and only the third woman to hold the position.
Deb Haaland is projected to become the first Native American governor of New Mexico, first female Native American governor in US history.
The former US Interior Secretary and congresswoman was favored to win the state’s open governorship. During the Biden administration, Haaland became the first Native American Cabinet secretary.
Several prominent Democrats, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker traveled to New Mexico to campaign for Haaland, fueling rumors about looming 2028 presidential bids.
Amy Acton is projected to become the first Democrat to win Ohio’s governorship since 2006 and the first woman elected to the office. Acton, a physician, defeats Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in a race that captured national attention over a controversial attack ad.
Campaigning on affordability, Acton pitched property tax cuts targeted at middle-income and older Ohioans, and a moratorium on data centers unless they cover their own utility costs.
Xavier Becerra is projected to become the first elected Latino governor of California, maintaining his party’s control of the nation’s largest state.
Becerra, the former US congressman, state attorney general and secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration, emerged from a crowded, contentious primary to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Buoyed by California’s solidly liberal electorate and a favorable midterm political environment, Becerra repeatedly linked his opponent, Republican Steve Hilton, to Trump, hammering his endorsement and appealing to Democrats to send a message of opposition to the administration. (CNN)