From Minneapolis to Atlanta, Black candidates make election history

Black candidates broke barriers on Nov. 3, from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to governor’s mansions across the South, the Midwest and the Caribbean. When the new terms begin in January, more Black governors will serve at the same time than ever before.

The biggest national milestone came out of Georgia. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms made history as the first Black woman elected governor of Georgia, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson and flipping the top job in a key swing state. She is also the country’s first Black woman elected governor of any state. Bottoms won with 54.3% of the vote, beating Jackson by 8.6 points.

The former Atlanta mayor became the first Democrat to win a Georgia governor’s race since 1998. She will also be Georgia’s first governor of color; all 83 of the state’s previous governors were white men. A descendant of enslaved Georgians, Bottoms rarely spoke directly about the historic nature of her campaign. Georgia’s history did not stop there. The election also produced the state’s first Black woman secretary of state, Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds.

The same night, another Black woman claimed a governor’s office. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett won the U.S. Virgin Islands governor’s race in a landslide, becoming the first woman elected to lead the territory since Virgin Islanders gained the right to choose their own governor more than 50 years ago. Plaskett and her running mate, Virgin Islands Senate President Milton Potter, received 62.8% of the vote in unofficial results. Because the territory inaugurated its governor first, Plaskett will be the first Black woman to take office as an elected governor in the United States. Former Sen. Janelle Sarauw won the congressional seat Plaskett is leaving.

In the Midwest and West, two more states elected their first Black governors. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee in Wisconsin, will be the state’s first Black governor. Nevada voters elected their first Black governor, Aaron Ford, who will also be the first Black governor of any state west of the Mississippi River. Ford was previously Nevada’s first Black Senate majority leader and attorney general.

In Florida, Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds became the first Black person ever elected to statewide office there and the nation’s first elected Black Republican governor. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the nation’s third elected Black governor and the only one currently serving, won reelection.

Together, those results more than double the record. Before this election, only three Black governors had ever been elected in U.S. history, and no two had served at the same time. In January, five will.

History was also made in the No. 2 job in several states. In New York, Adrienne Adams will become the first Black woman elected lieutenant governor. Adams previously served as speaker of the New York City Council, the first Black person to hold that post. In South Carolina, state Sen. Mike Reichenbach is projected to become the state’s first Black lieutenant governor since 1876. In Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, is projected to win a second term.

Congress is gaining new voices too. In Denver, democratic socialist Melat Kiros won Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, marking the first time a Gen Z woman will serve in Congress. According to her campaign, she is also the first Black woman from Colorado elected to Congress. Kiros was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and her family moved to Denver when she was a baby. She won with 78.3% of the vote after defeating 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary.

With Democrats projected to win control of the U.S. House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York is in line to become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January.

In the U.S. Senate, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton became only the fifth Black woman ever elected to the chamber. Her win means that, for the first time, three Black women will serve in the Senate at once.

Another Senate race could add to the history. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom held a narrow lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in unofficial results as of Nov. 6, but the race had not been called. If Colom wins, he would become Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

Here at home, Minnesota made its own history. State Rep. Cedrick Frazier narrowly defeated former acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk in the race for Hennepin County attorney. Frazier, a DFL state representative and former public defender, will become Hennepin County’s first African American county attorney. Frazier said he will be the state’s first African American county attorney in its 168-year history.

“I will work every single day to uphold equal justice and strengthen public safety,” Frazier said in a statement. Folk had not formally conceded, though Frazier has declared victory.

Attorney General Keith Ellison also returns to office. Ellison won reelection, defeating Republican challenger Ron Schutz with 54.3% of the vote to Schutz’s 45.5%. It will be his third term as Minnesota attorney general. Ellison became Minnesota’s first African American and first Muslim American elected to statewide office.

At the Capitol, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, will again serve as president of the Minnesota Senate. Champion became the first Black person to hold the role in 2023.

In Minneapolis, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar secured reelection with 76.5% of the vote in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, winning a fifth term. It was her best result since her first House campaign in 2018.

Somali Americans also gained ground at the Capitol. Abdi Daisane defeated Republican Mike Conway, president of the St. Cloud City Council, to become the area’s first Somali American state lawmaker. His win flipped a Republican-held district. In the Minnesota Senate, Omar Fateh and Zaynab Mohamed kept their seats in districts 62 and 63. In the House, Mohamud Noor held District 60B, Anquam Mahamoud held District 62B and Samakab Hussein won again in District 65A. Those results give Somali Americans six seats in the Minnesota Legislature.

Minnesota also had its own chance at a historic governor’s race. Republican Lisa Demuth, the Minnesota House speaker, would have become the state’s first Black governor. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the race, becoming Minnesota’s first woman governor.

The new officeholders take their seats in the coming weeks. Minnesota’s 2027 legislative session is scheduled to begin Jan. 12.

This list reflects results available as of Nov. 6 and may not include every Black candidate elected across Minnesota and the nation. Some races remain too close to call.