The historic firsts of the 2026 election

Key Points:

• The 2026 elections are projected to make history with several groundbreaking wins, including the first Black woman governor, the first Muslim US senator, and the first out gay male US senator.
• Keisha Lance Bottoms is expected to become the first female Black governor in US history by winning in Georgia, while Byron Donalds and Gina Hinojosa are projected to become the first Black governor of Florida and first Hispanic governor of Texas, respectively.
• Deb Haaland is set to become the first female Native American governor in US history by winning New Mexico’s governorship, and several other states will also see historic firsts, such as Amy Acton in Ohio and Xavier Becerra in California.
• Abdul El-Sayed is projected to become the first Muslim US senator, Peggy Flanagan the first female Native American senator, and Chris Pappas the first out gay male senator, marking significant milestones in Senate diversity.
• The House of Representatives will also see historic firsts, including Melat Kiros as the first female Black member from Colorado, Adam Hamawy as the first Muslim member from New Jersey, and Jeremy Moss as the first out gay member from Michigan.