Winners up and down the 2026 ballot will make history this year, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, including the first Black woman governor and the first out gay male US senator.
As President Donald Trump takes on the latter half of his second term, both parties will welcome a diverse group of newly elected lawmakers at the state and national level.
Read more about the candidates who are projected to boast the moniker of “first.”
Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to become the first Black governor of Georgia, the first female governor of Georgia and the first female Black governor in US history.
Bottoms, who served as Atlanta mayor between 2018 and 2022, was among the women whom President Joe Biden considered as a running mate in the 2020 election. She later joined his administration. Bottoms beat out Trump-endorsed Rick Jackson, making expanding Medicaid coverage, homeowner tax relief and increasing education funding the key pillars of her campaign.
Chris Pappas is projected to become the first out gay male senator in US history with his win in New Hampshire’s US Senate race. His win means Democrats will hold on to a critical seat, in a state that Republicans previously saw as one of their best opportunities to flip. Pappas is a four-term congressman from southeastern New Hampshire.
Byron Donalds is projected to become the first Black governor of Florida. He campaigned on tax reforms, regulating data centers and supporting Trump’s agenda in a state that has become more solidly red. He was bolstered early in the race with a full-throated Trump endorsement.
When Donalds assumes office there will be three serving Black governors in the US, with very different politics — the other is Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is projected to win reelection, and Bottoms in Georgia.
Annie Andrews is projected to become the first elected female US senator from South Carolina, defeating appointed Sen. Darline Graham and flipping a seat that Republicans have held for nearly three decades.
Trump orchestrated Graham’s appointment to the seat left vacant after the sudden death of her late brother, former Sen. Lindsey Graham, in July. The president’s backing of a political unknown stirred controversy in solidly red South Carolina.
In her short political career, Graham pitched herself as more conservative than her brother, breaking with some of his positions, like eliminating the filibuster or a more hardline approach to immigration, to side with Trump.
Andrews painted herself as an independent-minded moderate who is concerned about affordability, quality of life and corruption.
Gina Hinojosa is projected to become the first Hispanic governor of Texas, unseating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott who served almost 12 years in office. The two candidates clashed over culture issues, including abortion, during the campaign.
Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state lawmaker and attorney, will be the first Democrat elected governor since Ann Richards in 1990 and only the third woman to hold the position.
Melat Kiros is projected to become the first female Black member of Congress from Colorado with her win in the state’s 1st District. Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and lawyer, will also join the Generation - Z sect of Congress as one of the youngest sitting members of the House.
Adam Hamawy is projected to become the first Muslim member of Congress from New Jersey after winning in the 12th Congressional District. Hamawy , a retired US Army combat surgeon and sharp Israel critic, hails from the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, supporting Medicare for All as well as canceling medical and student loan debt.
Claire Valdez is projected to become the first female Native American member of Congress from New York. The one-term assemblywoman will win the state’s 7th Congressional District. Valdez’s win marks another victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing whose growing influence came in part from the popularity of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who championed Valdez.
Jeremy Moss is projected to become the first out gay member of Congress from the Wolverine state with his win in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. Moss, who served as state senator before his win, takes over the seat made vacant by Rep. Haley Stevens — who left the post to run for the US Senate before losing in the primary.
Amy Acton is projected to become the first Democrat to win Ohio’s governorship since 2006 and the first woman ever elected to the office. Acton, a physician, defeats Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in a race that captured national attention over a controversial attack ad. Campaigning on affordability, Acton pitched property tax cuts targeted at middle-income and older Ohioans, and a moratorium on data centers unless they cover their own utility costs.
Xavier Becerra is projected to become the first elected Latino governor of California, maintaining his party’s control of the nation’s largest state.
Becerra, the former US congressman, state attorney general and secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration, emerged from a crowded, contentious primary to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Buoyed by California’s solidly liberal electorate and a favorable midterm political environment, Becerra repeatedly linked his opponent, Republican Steve Hilton, to Trump, hammering his endorsement and appealing to Democrats to send a message of opposition to the administration.
