Edition · Thu 05 Nov 2026
Politics Desk
Beyond Washington: Democrats Win Most Governorships, Flip Statehouses and Break Through in Texas
Tuesday's wave reached far below Congress. Democrats will control a majority of governors' mansions, won full control of several state governments and ended a 32-year statewide losing streak in Texas, as a string of candidates made history.
By Rachel · Edited by Chanan Zevin - Chief Editor and Head of Desks
Published
A generational shift in the states
The Democratic wave that delivered both chambers of Congress swept just as hard through the states. Democrats picked up governorships across the map and will control most of the nation's governors' offices, a generational shift. State legislatures moved too, with Democrats winning chambers and full control of state governments in places where Republicans had dominated for years.
A generational shift in the states
In Georgia, the outgoing Republican governor, Brian Kemp, declined to call a special session to redraw congressional maps or weaken the governor's office before his Democratic successor takes over. That successor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, is projected to become the first Black woman elected governor in American history.
Texas turns
Nowhere was the change more dramatic than Texas. Democrats won the state's Senate race, captured the governor's mansion and took the lieutenant governorship, ending a 32-year losing streak in statewide elections. State Representative James Talarico beat Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Senate seat. State Representative Gina Hinojosa unseated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott, who spent more than $140 million against her, and is projected to become the state's first Hispanic governor. Vikki Goodwin defeated Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Texas turns
Two years ago, Mr. Trump carried Texas by 14 points and Hispanic voters in South Texas were swinging toward Republicans. On Tuesday, Mr. Talarico won Hidalgo County by 46 points after Mr. Trump had won it by three. "In one night, one election cycle, Democrats really erased multiple election cycles of losses with Latino voters," said Stephanie Valencia, president of the research firm Equis. Elon Musk had poured more than $200 million into trying to keep the Senate seat Republican.
A night of firsts
The results produced a long list of historic firsts. Wisconsin elected David Crowley and Nevada elected Aaron Ford as their first Black governors. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds is projected to become the state's first Black governor. Deb Haaland is projected to become the first Native American governor of New Mexico, and Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio to become the first Democrat to win the governorship there since 2006.
A night of firsts
In the Senate, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan is projected to become the first Muslim senator, Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota the first Native American senator and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire the first openly gay male senator. In Maine, Troy Jackson, a former Democratic state lawmaker, ended Susan Collins's 30-year Senate career.
Winning is the easy part
Republicans in Texas were stunned. The state party's vice chair, David Covey, wrote that voters had "rejected the Republican status quo" and called the results "our wake-up call." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that without Texas as an anchor, the party would not be viable nationally.
Winning is the easy part
Democrats, for their part, know the gains may not last. "While these shifts and these gains are real, they're not permanent," Ms. Valencia said. The Latino vote, she added, had long been called a sleeping giant: "now I think it's fair to say we're the swinging giant." The new governors and legislatures will now have to show that they can deliver on the promises about prices and costs that carried them to power.