The 2026 U.S. midterm elections set a series of historic firsts, with women and minority candidates breaking long-standing barriers in races for Congress and governorships.
The results included the election of the first Black woman governor in U.S. history, the first Native American woman to win a Senate seat and the first Muslim member of Congress from New Jersey, among other milestones.
It also reshaped the balance of power in Washington. Democrats secured a majority in the U.S. Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, dealing a significant blow to the second half of President Donald Trump's presidency.
U.S. media projected a 53-42 Democratic advantage as of 7 a.m. GMT, driven by at least seven seat pickups nationwide.
Democrats also won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterms after Johnny Garcia defeated Carlos De La Cruz in Texas's 35th District, according to the AP.
The victory gave Democrats the 218 seats needed for a majority in the 435-member chamber, ending Republican control and dealing a major political setback to President Donald Trump. As of 6:39 a.m. GMT, 87 seats had yet to be called.
The victories also extended beyond Washington, with Democrats winning key gubernatorial races in traditionally Republican states, including Georgia and Texas.
Abdul El-Sayed, an Egyptian American Democrat and former public health official, made history Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's closely watched midterm election.
El-Sayed, 42, is a medical doctor and former public health official who previously served as Detroit’s health director and headed the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, which serves Detroit, Michigan’s largest city.
Born and raised in Michigan to an Egyptian immigrant father, he graduated from the University of Michigan, earned a doctorate from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and received his medical degree from Columbia University.
He won the Democratic nomination in August, defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a closely watched primary. His campaign focused on health care, economic inequality and curbing corporate influence in politics.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms made history by defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson in Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state.
The former Atlanta mayor is also Georgia’s first woman and first Black governor. Her victory returned the governor’s office to Democrats for the first time since 1998, ending more than two decades of Republican control.
Bottoms previously served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022 and worked in local government before entering statewide politics.
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state after defeating Republican Gregg Hull in New Mexico.
A citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, Haaland previously marked history in 2021 as the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary when then-President Joe Biden appointed her to lead the Interior Department.
Her election marked another milestone in Native American political representation, bringing a member of an Indigenous community to state leadership.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate after defeating Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter.
Flanagan, an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
Before becoming lieutenant governor in 2019, she served on the Minneapolis Board of Education and represented St. Louis Park in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
She has also worked on Indigenous rights and relations between the state government and tribal nations.
Democrat Adam Hamawy won New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, becoming the state’s first Muslim member of Congress.
A plastic surgeon and former U.S. Army combat surgeon, Hamawy defeated Republican Gregg Mele.
His election adds another milestone to the growing representation of Muslim Americans in the U.S. Congress.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, becoming Texas's first Latina governor.
Her victory also marked a return of Democrats to the governor’s office after more than three decades. The last Democrat to hold the post was the late Ann Richards, who left office in 1995.
Hinojosa’s win gave Democrats control of the state’s top office after years of Republican leadership and marked a significant change in Texas's political landscape.
Republican Byron Donalds became Florida’s first Black governor and the first Black Republican elected governor in U.S. history after narrowly defeating Democrat David Jolly.
Donalds, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, will succeed Ron DeSantis. His victory also made him the first Black candidate elected to statewide office in Florida.
In Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley defeated Republican Tom Tiffany, becoming the state’s first Black governor.
Crowley previously served as Milwaukee County executive and will succeed Democrat Tony Evers.
Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, becoming Ohio’s first woman elected governor and its first Jewish governor.
A physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, Acton became widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic for her role in the state’s public health response.
Although Nancy Hollister briefly served as governor for 11 days in 1998-99, Acton is the first woman elected to the office.
Democrat Juliana Stratton’s victory in Illinois's Senate race will bring the number of Black women serving simultaneously in the chamber to three for the first time when she takes office in January 2027.
She will join Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware.
Stratton, who served as Illinois lieutenant governor under Gov. J.B. Pritzker, will also become the second Black woman elected to represent Illinois in the Senate, following Carol Moseley Braun, who won her seat in 1992.
Her election means Illinois will have two people of color in the Senate, alongside Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
