Ten states elect historic governors
Voters across the country chose officials who will be the first Black, Native American, Latino, and Jewish leaders in their respective states.
By Kwame Silva ·
Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Rick Jackson on Tuesday to become Georgia’s next governor. At 56, the former Atlanta mayor and Biden administration adviser will be the first Black woman elected to the top executive office in any US state. Her victory also ends a two-decade run of Republican governors in Georgia, making her the first Democrat to win the seat since 2002.
Deb Haaland secured a win in New Mexico against Gregg Hull. The Democrat, who served as Interior secretary in the Biden cabinet, will be the first Native American woman to serve as governor. She previously made history as one of the first Native American women elected to Congress.
Xavier Becerra and Gina Hinojosa will expand Latino representation in state leadership. Becerra, a former health and human services secretary, defeated Steve Hilton in California. He becomes the state’s first elected Latino governor. In Texas, Hinojosa defeated incumbent Greg Abbott. She is the state’s first Latina governor and the first Democrat to win the office in more than 30 years.
Three states elected their first Black governors. Byron Donalds won in Florida, Aaron Ford in Nevada, and David Crowley in Wisconsin. Donalds, a Republican backed by President Trump, beat David Jolly in Florida. Ford, the state attorney general, unseated Joe Lombardo in Nevada, becoming the first Black governor west of the Mississippi. Crowley defeated Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin after re-entering the primary following a candidate dropout.
Marsha Blackburn and Amy Klobuchar became the first women to win governor’s races in Tennessee and Minnesota, respectively. Blackburn, a Republican, defeated Jerri Green in Tennessee. Klobuchar, a Democrat, beat Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House, in Minnesota.
Amy Acton created history in Ohio by defeating Vivek Ramaswamy. She will be the first woman and first Jewish person to serve as governor of that state. Acton, who served as the state’s chief public health officer during the pandemic, is the first Democrat to win the office in two decades. Her campaign faced national criticism for an attack ad aired in the final weeks of the race.
These ten winners take office in January, marking a shift in state leadership demographics. Each candidate holds a position they are the first person of their specific background to occupy in their state.
