First Muslim senator, first Black woman governor: the history-making winners of the US midterms
PauseandPonderTV · Wed, 4 Nov 2026Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia and New Mexico produced some of the night's landmark results.
Tuesday's US midterm elections produced a string of firsts, as voters sent several barrier-breaking candidates to Congress and to governors' offices.
Michigan voters made Democrat Abdul El-Sayed the first Muslim ever to win a seat in the US Senate. In Minnesota, Democrat Peggy Flanagan won a Senate seat to become the first Native American woman in the chamber, while in New Hampshire, Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.
Georgia elected Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms as governor, making her the first Black woman ever elected to lead a US state. In New Mexico, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor.
Florida chose Republican Byron Donalds as its first Black governor, and Wisconsin elected Democrat David Crowley, also the first Black governor in that state's history.
In the House of Representatives, 29-year-old Melat Kiros won Colorado's 1st District, becoming the first woman from Generation Z elected to Congress.
Source: this report is based on reporting by Premium Times and ABC News.
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