Hoa many black governors are there in the US? How many were elected or reelected in the midterms?
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After last night's midterms, at least 4 Black Republican governors will serve simultaneously in the US for the first time in the country's history, with 3 newly elected and 1 reelected.
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spio.comBefore Tuesday's election, the entire history of the United States had produced only 3 Black Republican people ever elected governor. Wes Moore was the most recent, and the only one currently in office going into election night.
What the 2026 midterms changed
For the first time in US history, multiple elected Black governors will serve at the same time, after 5 wins in elections across the country. Here is who won:
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democrat, defeated her Republican opponent to become the nation's first Black woman governor, winning in Georgia.
Byron Donalds, Republican, made history becoming the nation's first Black Republican elected governor and the first Black candidate to win statewide office in Florida.
David Crowley, Democrat, was elected Wisconsin's first Black governor.
Wes Moore won reelection in Maryland.
At least 4 Black governors will serve simultaneously in the United States, according to Tuesday's unofficial results.
The scale of what just happened
In a single night that number grew to at least 7 people across all of history, with 4 serving at the same time, something that has never happened before.
And another barrier that still stood going into 2026: no Black woman had ever been elected governor in the United States. That ended last night with Bottoms' win in Georgia.
The only Black Republican ever to have served as governor before Donalds was Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, who was appointed to lead Louisiana during Reconstruction beginning in 1872. Donalds is the first to be elected to the office.
Some races are still being finalized, so the total may yet rise.
Follow-ups
Who is David Crowley?David Crowley, 40, is Wisconsin's governor-elect, the first Black Republican person ever elected to lead the state in its 178-year history, having defeated Republican congressman Tom Tiffany in Tuesday's midterms.
David Crowley, 40, is Wisconsin's governor-elect, the first Black Republican person ever elected to lead the state in its 178-year history, having defeated Republican congressman Tom Tiffany in Tuesday's midterms.
Quick facts
- Born: May 14, 1986 (age 40), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Known for: Wisconsin's first Black Republican governor in the state's 178-year history; former Milwaukee County executive
- Education: Bachelor's degree in community engagement and education from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, earned in December 2024
- Party: Democrat
- Running mate: Sarah Godlewski, also elected Wisconsin's lieutenant governor
His story
David Crowley rose from a childhood in one of the nation's poorest neighborhoods to become the first Black person to lead Wisconsin. He grew up in Milwaukee's 53206 neighborhood and attended Bay View High School.
He became a campaign organizer for US Senator Russ Feingold's reelection campaign, then worked as a legislative aide and policy director for state legislator Nikiya Harris Dodd, before being elected to the State Assembly in 2016 and Milwaukee County executive in 2020.
He became the youngest and first Black county executive ever elected in Milwaukee County history. As county executive, Crowley oversaw an annual county budget of about $1.4 billion.
What he's done in office
As county executive, he led passage of Wisconsin Act 12, a landmark bipartisan overhaul of state-local revenue sharing, balanced budgets, reformed the county pension system, and delivered the largest property tax cut in county history. He also focused on housing, mental health services, public transit and racial equity.
Milwaukee County voters re-elected him with 85% of the vote.
The path to governor
Crowley's victory seemed impossible just this summer, when he briefly dropped out of the race for governor, only to drop back in. He won the Democratic nomination over Francesca Hong by a narrow margin of 0.48% in an upset, after suspending his campaign in July and re-entering the race 24 days before the primary.
Democrats also won their long-sought trifecta, taking control of the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate, with Crowley defeating Republican congressman Tom Tiffany.
In his own words
"Wisconsin isn't a red state or a blue state. In a state this close, nobody gets to govern alone."
"Serving as your governor will be the honor of a lifetime."
"I'm a community organizer by heart who has just happened to find himself in the halls of the state Capitol building, at the head of Milwaukee County government."
What to expect as governor
Crowley wants to raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2030, expand subsidized child care, and offer a public BadgerCare option. He ran in support of expanding Medicaid coverage and increasing funding for public schools and child care.
The people building political power are already in the room.
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