These candidates made history in the 2026 midterm elections

The 2026 midterm elections made history for several candidates, as voters are projected to have elected the country’s first Black, Native American and Latina female governors and more major firsts.

All eyes were on the results Tuesday night in the high-stakes election, in which House and Senate races will determine the balance of power in Congress.

But the midterms have also seen an expansion of representation among America’s lawmakers, with several candidates celebrating groundbreaking wins.

This story will be updated as more wins are projected.

Keisha Lance Bottoms

Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected by ABC News to become the next governor of Georgia — beating billionaire Rick Jackson in the closely watched race.

The projected win for Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, flips the Georgia governor’s mansion blue in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024.

In the closing stretch of the race, Bottoms often repeated on the campaign trail that Jackson “may have the money, but the people still have the power.” Before the end of the cycle, Jackson had spent more than $200 million of his personal fortune on his campaign.

Georgia hasn’t elected a Democrat for governor since 1998. The seat is currently held by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was term-limited this year.

This is a major win for Georgia Democrats, who have targeted this seat for years, falling short in 2018 and 2022 with Democrat Stacey Abrams. In 2018, Abrams lost to Kemp by a 1.4-point margin.

Deb Haaland

Deb Haaland, the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, is projected to win New Mexico’s gubernatorial race, becoming the first indigenous governor in U.S. history.

“Thank you, New Mexico! It is the honor of my lifetime to be elected your 33rd Governor,” Haaland wrote on X. “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.”

She is a member of the Laguna Pueblo, a federally recognized tribe in the state.

Haaland’s projected win on Tuesday was against former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull.

In 2018, Haaland became one of the first two Native women elected to Congress.

“In 230 years, there’s never been a Native American woman in Congress. I have never seen myself in that body of our government,” Haaland said in an interview with ABC News at the time.

Rep. Gina Hinojosa

The Texas gubernatorial race is also projected to see a historic first, with Democratic Rep. Gina Hinojosa becoming the state’s first Latina governor.

Hinojosa was running against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who was aiming to win his fourth term.

The stunning projected win for Hinojosa, who served in the Texas state House, comes after running on education reform and criticizing Abbott over AI data centers.

“This is our last best chance to take back Texas for the people,” she wrote on X ahead of the election.

Rep. Byron Donalds

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds is projected by ABC News to win the gubernatorial race in Florida, becoming the state’s first Black governor.

“I am humbled and grateful beyond measure,” Donalds said in a victory statement posted to X. “As your Governor, I will give you everything I have. We are going to make life in Florida more affordable. We are going to keep our streets safe. We are going to invest in our young people so that they can attain the Florida Dream that all of us love so dearly.”

His campaign made headlines in September when Donalds’ website was updated to remove some prominent references to Trump. According to the Miami Herald, Donalds removed at least eight references to Trump from his website.

Shortly after the changes, however, Donalds posted a statement on X touting his endorsement of the president.

“I am proud to have President Trump’s endorsement. While everyone is focused on our website, check out our policy proposals to make life more affordable for Floridians,” Donalds wrote at the time.

Dr. Amy Acton

Dr. Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, is projected to defeat GOP opponent Vivek Ramaswamy for the Ohio governor’s seat.

Acton will become the first woman elected governor in Ohio and the first Jewish governor in the state’s history.

The defining moment of this campaign came with an ad made by the Ramaswamy campaign that tried to use Acton’s estranged mother, who fled the state with a husband who was indicted for raping Acton as a child, to call Acton a liar. The ad prompted major backlash and an influx of support and visibility for Acton.

David Crowley 

In battleground Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, will win and become the state’s first Black governor, ABC News projects.

Crowley defeated Tom Tiffany, a Trump ally, for the open seat to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. A former state lawmaker, Crowley campaigned on his background running the state’s largest county and fended off attacks from his Republican opponent, who cast him as weak on crime and immigration.

Crowley campaigned on reducing the cost of living and rejecting “MAGA extremism.”

“Thank you, Wisconsin. Thank you for believing in me,” he wrote in a statement on X Tuesday night. “Serving as your governor will be the honor of a lifetime.”

Democrats pinned their hopes on Crowley to win a state government trifecta for the first time in over a decade in the swing state.

Rep. Chris Pappas

In New Hampshire, ABC News projects that U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas will win the Senate race, becoming the first openly gay senator.

He is projected to beat former Sen. John Sununu, a Republican backed by President Donald Trump, in the race that was seen as a must-hold for the Democrats.

Pappas campaigned with major Democratic figures such as former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.