The 50 individuals who will serve as state governors come this January are the closest the group has ever been to reflecting the true melting pot that has made this country a global leader in science, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Going into the Nov. 3 election, the political distribution of the nation’s governors was as split as the media wanted us to believe the electorate was on so many issues: Republicans held 26 gubernatorial mansions while Democrats held 24. Guessing their individual race and gender would have been easier than selecting political party for the uninitiated: Only three of the nation’s governors have ever been Black, and guessing male would have been correct 38 out of 50 times in 2026.
That all changed on Tuesday night. And the people who probably already have added "governor-elect" to their LinkedIn profiles include several historic notes:
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The nation's first Native American female governor, former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, won in New Mexico.
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Georgia will be home to nation’s first Black female governor, with the win by Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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California and Texas each elected their first governors of Latin American descent, with victories by Xaviera Becerra and Gina Hinojosa, respectively.
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Three states elected their first female governors: Senator Amy Klobuchar won in Minnesota; Dr. Amy Acton took Ohio; and Senator Marsha Blackburn won in Tennessee.
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Two Black men were elected governors in Florida and Wisconsin, firsts for both states and, when combined with Bottoms’ win, doubles the number of Blacks ever to serve as U.S. governors to six. Bryon Donalds won in Florida, and David Crowley took Wisconsin.
Thirty-six seats were up for grabs Tuesday night, and we knew at least 19 would be occupied by different people next year because of term limits, retirements, or incumbents defeated in primaries. Two incumbents also lost. Long-serving Texas Governor Greg Abbott conceded the race early Tuesday evening, while a loss for Nevada Governor Lombardo was called Wednesday morning. The Alaska and Kansas races for Governor had not been called as of press time.
Five states are expected to see changes in political party to the state executive role beginning in 2027, bringing the 29-21 ratio back in Democrats’ favor for the first time since 2010.
While some state legislative races remain uncalled, it appears there will be a modest decrease in the number of states in which a single party controls both chambers of the state legislature and governors' positions. At least three states—Iowa, Ohio, and Texas join Kentucky and Vermont in having both parties claiming at least one of the majority roles in state leadership. Ballotpedia indicates five more states may see divided control when vote counting is done.