For the first time in American history, five Black governors will serve at the same time. The record was set in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, when four Black candidates won governor's races and joined Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who won re-election. When the new governors take office in January 2027, the milestone will nearly double the all-time total of Black Americans ever elected governor, from three to seven, in a single night.

The five are Maryland Democrat Wes Moore, Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, Florida Republican Byron Donalds, Wisconsin Democrat David Crowley and Nevada Democrat Aaron Ford. Their wins came as Democrats flipped seven Senate seats and 25 House seats to take control of Congress.

Key Points

• Five Black governors will serve simultaneously for the first time ever, from January 2027.
• The five are Wes Moore of Maryland, Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida, David Crowley of Wisconsin and Aaron Ford of Nevada.
• Before this election, only three Black Americans had ever been elected governor, and no two had served together.
• Bottoms is the first Black woman ever elected governor of a US state, and Donalds is the first Black Republican elected governor.
• At 40, Crowley will be America's youngest governor; Moore chairs the National Governors Association.

What Happened

On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, four Black gubernatorial candidates won races that each carried historic weight. In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, ending a 24-year Republican hold on the governor's mansion. In Florida, US Representative Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly. In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County executive David Crowley defeated Republican Representative Tom Tiffany by about 53 percent to 47 percent. And in Nevada, state Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated incumbent Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.

In Maryland, Wes Moore won re-election, beating Republican Dan Cox in a 2022 rematch. Moore had made history in 2022 as Maryland's first Black governor, so the four newcomers join a sitting pioneer rather than replacing one. USA Today reported the results on November 4, as the scale of the night's historic firsts came into focus.

Background: A History of Firsts, Never Two at Once

The milestone is best understood against a remarkably short list. Before November 2026, only three Black Americans had ever been elected governor of a US state. The first was L. Douglas Wilder, who won in Virginia in 1989. The second was Deval Patrick, elected in Massachusetts in 2006. The third was Wes Moore, elected in Maryland in 2022. Their terms never overlapped, so the country had never before had two Black governors serving at the same time, let alone five.

That scarcity makes 2026 a genuine break, not an incremental change. In one election the total rose from three to seven, and the number serving at once rose from one to five. The winners span both parties and four regions, and their campaigns shared an emphasis on the cost of living, housing and health care.

The Five Black Governors Who Will Serve Together

Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia. Bottoms, 56, a former Atlanta mayor and former senior adviser in the Biden administration, becomes Georgia's first Black governor, its first woman governor and the first Black woman ever elected governor of any US state. Her campaign focused on affordability, housing, health care access and Medicaid expansion. "If we want a better Georgia, we have to fight for it," she said in an October 13 debate.

Byron Donalds, Florida. Donalds, 48, the only Republican among the five, becomes Florida's first Black governor and the nation's first Black Republican elected governor. A US Representative since 2021, he ran on continuing Governor Ron DeSantis's policies on education, deregulation and immigration. "The truth is, in our state, we have people who are struggling," he said in his victory speech.

David Crowley, Wisconsin. Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, becomes Wisconsin's first Black governor and, at 40, the youngest governor in America. A former state assemblyman elected county executive in 2020, he campaigned on affordability, opportunity and economic growth. "Wisconsin, this is a very good day," he said in Milwaukee. "Because of you, a boy who grew up facing evictions will now live in the governor's residence."

Aaron Ford, Nevada. Ford, 54, the state attorney general, becomes Nevada's first Black governor after defeating an incumbent governor. A former public school teacher and state senate leader, he was Nevada's first Black statewide constitutional officer when he became attorney general in 2019. He ran on affordable housing, lower health care costs, job creation and cost-of-living relief.

Wes Moore, Maryland. Moore, 48, an Army veteran, bestselling author and former chief executive of the Robin Hood Foundation, won his second term in Maryland. He had never held elected office before his 2022 win, and in August he became chair of the National Governors Association. His platform centres on economic opportunity, education, poverty reduction and public safety.

Reactions and Quotes

The scale of the milestone drew swift recognition from civil rights groups. "The story of this election is not just about who won," Dominik Whitehead, chief of field for the NAACP, said in a November 4 statement. "It's about the Black wave of voters who understood what was at stake and made their voices heard." The organisation framed the results as the product of voter mobilisation as much as of individual candidacies, in an election in which Black voters were among several groups that shifted back toward Democrats, according to the AP Voter Poll.

Why It Matters

Governors sign or veto state laws, shape budgets worth tens of billions of dollars, and oversee Medicaid, public schools, housing policy and disaster response. Having five Black governors at once therefore matters well beyond representation: it places Black leaders at the head of five state governments, across both parties, at a moment when states are at the centre of fights over health care, housing costs and voting rights. It also deepens both parties' bench of executives with statewide records.

What Happens Next

All five take office, or begin new terms, in January 2027. Bottoms succeeds term-limited Governor Brian Kemp in Georgia, where full Medicaid expansion is expected among her day-one priorities. Donalds succeeds term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida, Crowley succeeds retiring Governor Tony Evers in Wisconsin, and Ford succeeds Governor Joe Lombardo in Nevada, while Moore begins his second term in Maryland.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Black governors will serve at once? Five: Wes Moore of Maryland, Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida, David Crowley of Wisconsin and Aaron Ford of Nevada, all serving from January 2027.

How many Black Americans had been elected governor before 2026? Only three: L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia in 1989, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts in 2006 and Wes Moore of Maryland in 2022. No two had ever served at the same time.

Who is the first Black woman elected governor? Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, who is also Georgia's first woman governor and its first Black governor.

Who is the first Black Republican elected governor? Byron Donalds of Florida, who is also Florida's first Black governor.

Read more: Donalds wins in Florida, Bottoms makes history in Georgia and Crowley wins in Wisconsin.