Chris Pappas, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Abdul El-Sayed. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, Matt Odom/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Sarah Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

From the 1st Black woman governor to the 1st Muslim senator, here are 12 historic firsts of the 2026 midterm election

· Yahoo News

The results of the 2026 midterm elections have delivered a series of historic wins, with candidates across the country breaking barriers — and glass ceilings — at the ballot box. The results come amid a sweeping Democratic victory in a battle for control of Congress, with both chambers shifting from Republican to Democratic majorities starting in January.

Among the headline-making victories are the nation's first Black woman governor, the first Native American woman governor, the first Muslim U.S. senator and the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

Here's a closer look at the historic wins of the 2026 midterms.

U.S. Senate

Abdul El-Sayed

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed makes remarks in Detroit, Mich., on Nov. 4.
(Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Democrat became the first Muslim U.S. senator in American history when he won Michigan's hotly contested Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers. The victory came after El-Sayed's Democratic primary rival, Haley Stevens, endorsed Rogers just days before the election.

Peggy Flanagan

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, speaks at an election night event in St. Paul on Tuesday.
(AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

The Democratic lieutenant governor of Minnesota became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She is Ojibwe and a member of the White Earth Nation.

Chris Pappas

New Hampshire Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Chris Pappas, right, speaks at an election night event, with Vann Bentley, left, in Manchester.
(AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)

The Democratic New Hampshire representative was elected to the U.S. Senate, making him the first openly gay man elected to serve in that congressional chamber.

Governor

Amy Acton

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton waves during an election night event in Columbus.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, became Ohio's first woman governor and the first Jewish governor in the state's history. She defeated her opponent, Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, for the seat after a hostile race in its final weeks leading up to the election.

An attack ad from the Ramaswamy campaign featured Acton's estranged mother, who called her daughter a liar. The ad drew widespread criticism of Ramaswamy and an outpouring of support for Acton, who has said she was abused as a child.

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn speaks at an election night event in Nashville.
(AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The Republican Tennessee senator became the first woman elected to serve as the state's governor. Blackburn defeated her Democratic opponent, Jerri Green, and will succeed GOP Gov. Bill Lee, whose term is limited after serving eight years in office.

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"We ran a different kind of campaign, focused on Tennesseans, not on the media's terms and not on any other candidate's terms," Blackburn told supporters in Nashville on election night. "We ran a campaign that was for the people of Tennessee, and we have proved that this is how you win. You build a campaign from the grassroots, from the bottom up, not the top down."

Keisha Lance Bottoms

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, right, embraces her daughter, on Tuesday in Atlanta.
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The former Atlanta mayor made history on two fronts in the 2026 midterms: she became the first Black woman governor in U.S. history, and the first woman governor of Georgia. The Democrat claimed victory over Republican billionaire Rick Jackson in the state's gubernatorial race.

David Crowley

Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley speaks on Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Democrat became Wisconsin's first Black governor after defeating his Republican opponent, Tom Tiffany. Crowley had dropped out of the gubernatorial race over the summer, but rejoined after Tony Evers, the outgoing Democratic governor, urged him to do so.

Byron Donalds

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds celebrates his election night win with his wife, Erika.
(via REUTERS / REUTERS)

The Republican congressman, endorsed by President Trump, will be Florida's first Black governor, succeeding Ron DeSantis, who reached his gubernatorial term limit. 

Aaron Ford

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks at an election night event in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/John Locher)

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Nevada's Democratic attorney general won the state's gubernatorial race, defeating Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, becoming the state's first Black governor. Ford previously made history as Nevada's first Black Senate majority leader and attorney general. Before he was first elected to the state legislature in 2012, he was an attorney at a private law firm and was a public school math teacher.

Deb Haaland

New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland waves to supporters on Tuesday in Albuquerque.
(Sam Wasson via Getty Images)

Haaland made history as the first Native American woman governor in U.S. history when she won New Mexico's gubernatorial race. The Democrat is a member of Laguna Pueblo.

Gina Hinojosa

Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa speaks to supporters on Tuesday in Austin.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Democratic state congresswoman became Texas's first Latina governor after defeating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who was seeking his fourth term.

Amy Klobuchar

Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar reacts at an election night event in St. Paul.
(AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

The Democratic U.S. senator became Minnesota's first elected woman governor on Tuesday when she defeated Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

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Klobuchar has broken glass ceilings in the state before: in 1998, she became the first woman elected Hennepin County attorney, and, in 2006, she became the state's first woman U.S. senator.