Keisha Lance Bottoms Makes U.S. History as Democrats Win the House and Senate

ATLANTA — Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, became the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state Tuesday, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson and ending more than two decades of Republican control of Georgia’s governor’s office. Georgia voters also elected Tanya Miller as the state’s first woman attorney general and returned Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff to Washington.

The results in Georgia were part of a national shift. The Associated Press projected that Democrats had won control of both the U.S. House and Senate, breaking Republicans’ hold on Congress midway through President Donald Trump’s second term. Democrats won Senate races in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, while both parties elected candidates who will be the first in their states to hold some of the country’s most powerful offices.

In New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history. Michigan elected the country’s first Muslim U.S. senator, Abdul El-Sayed. Minnesota elected the Senate’s first Native American woman, Peggy Flanagan, and New Hampshire elected its first openly gay male member, Chris Pappas. 

Georgia puts three Democrats in the spotlight

Bottoms’ victory marks two firsts in Georgia. She will be the state’s first woman governor and its first governor of color. The former mayor campaigned on expanding Medicaid, funding pre-K and restoring reproductive rights. Those promises now move from the campaign trail to a statehouse where the makeup of the legislature will help determine what she can deliver. 

Miller, a Democratic state representative, defeated Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland to become Georgia’s first woman and second Black person elected attorney general. She will succeed Chris Carr as the state’s chief legal officer. In a state where high-profile prosecutions often draw national attention, the distinction between state and local authority matters. Miller will lead the Georgia Department of Law and represent the state in litigation. Local district attorneys remain responsible for prosecuting most criminal cases in their own circuits. 

Ossoff defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, keeping a Senate seat Democrats already held while the party picked up seats elsewhere. Unofficial returns put Ossoff at about 59 percent, Bottoms at about 54 percent and Miller at about 56 percent. Democrats also won the races for lieutenant governor and secretary of state, with Josh McLaurin and Penny Brown Reynolds, respectively. Those wins give the party a foothold across several statewide offices with different responsibilities, from presiding over the state Senate to overseeing elections.

From New Mexico to Florida, governors’ races break barriers

New Mexico. Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo and a former U.S. interior secretary, defeated Republican Gregg Hull. Her victory follows another national milestone in 2018, when she became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She is now the first Native American woman voters have elected to lead a state. 

Florida and Wisconsin.** Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Crowley became the first Black governors elected in their respective states. In Maryland, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore won reelection. Bottoms’ victory in Georgia and Donalds’ win in Florida mean two Deep South states elected their first Black governors on the same night, across party lines. 

Texas and California.** Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and will become Texas’ first Latina governor. In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general, defeated Republican Steve Hilton and will become the state’s first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco in 1875. 

Minnesota and Tennessee.

Minnesota voters chose Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar as their first woman governor. Tennessee elected its first woman governor as well, with Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeating Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis city councilwoman. [as it happened]

Four Senate races make history

In Michigan, El-Sayed, an Egyptian American physician, defeated Republican Mike Rogers. He will become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate. In **Minnesota, Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the state’s lieutenant governor, defeated Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter. Flanagan will become the first Native American woman in the chamber. [as it happened]

In New Hampshire, Pappas defeated former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu and will become the first openly gay man to serve in the Senate. In **Illinois**, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton defeated Republican Don Tracy to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Once Stratton joins Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois will become the first state represented by two women of color in the Senate at the same time. The Associated Press reported that Stratton’s victory will also bring the number of Black women serving in the chamber to three. 

Texas and Kansas end decades-long Democratic droughts

Texas delivered two of the night’s biggest upsets. Alongside Hinojosa’s victory over Abbott, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate. Before Tuesday, a Democrat had last won statewide office in Texas in 1994. The AP Voter Poll found that Talarico won most young voters and Hispanic voters in the state, two groups that helped carry his coalition. 

In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas in 94 years, according to Reuters. Trump carried Kansas by more than 16 percentage points in 2024. Democrats also picked up a Senate seat in South Carolina, where Annie Andrews defeated longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. 

Nationally, the cost of living was a major concern for voters. Reuters reported that nearly nine in ten voters in an exit poll described it as a crucial or major factor in their vote. The results give Democrats an opening to press their affordability agenda, with the president retaining veto power and Republicans still able to contest legislation in both chambers.

A Brooklyn lawmaker could make the next historic first

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection in New York’s 8th Congressional District. With Democrats projected to control the House, the Brooklyn lawmaker is in line to become the country’s first Black speaker. That milestone depends on a separate vote by House members when the new Congress convenes. 

Democratic majorities will give the party control of congressional committees and greater authority to investigate the Trump administration, set the House floor agenda and scrutinize nominations in the Senate. The first fights over spending and oversight will show how Democrats use those powers under divided government. In Georgia, the early tests will be different. Bottoms will have to turn her campaign commitments into budget and legislative proposals, while Miller’s first decisions about which cases and enforcement priorities to pursue will show how she intends to use the attorney general’s office.

Election status as of November 4. This report uses media race calls and unofficial returns. Final vote totals are subject to state certification. Alaska’s Senate race was still being counted in the Associated Press report reviewed for this story. A victory by Democrat Mary Peltola would make her the first Alaska Native elected to the U.S. Senate.