Voters across the US elected Democrats to lead many of the largest states on Tuesday, marking a shift in traditional Republican strongholds. From Keisha Lance Bottoms' victory in Georgia, making the former Atlanta mayor the first Black woman to be elected governor of any state, to Amy Acton's win in reliably red Ohio, the results represented a repudiation of Trump, rank corruption in Washington and the power of billionaires to shape American politics.
One of the biggest prizes of the night was the Texas governorship, where Democratic state representative Gina Hinojosa unseated incumbent Republican Greg Abbott. Hinojosa will be the first Latina governor of the state, and the first Democrat elected to the Texas governorship in 30 years. Bottoms' win in Georgia against billionaire Rick Jackson also represented a flip of a Republican stronghold where the GOP has held the governor's office and both chambers of the state legislature for more than 20 years.
In Ohio, Democrat Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The campaign drew national attention after Ramaswamy's campaign aired an ad featuring Acton's estranged mother sharply criticizing her daughter. Acton is the first Democrat elected governor in the state since 2006, and the first woman elected governor of Ohio.
Democrat Rob Sand pulled off an upset against Republican Zach Lahn in Iowa, marking a step towards the party rebuilding its standing in a state that has voted for Trump three times. In Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley defeated Republican Tom Tiffany to become the state's first Black governor; Crowley withdrew from the race only to rejoin at the urging of outgoing Democratic governor Tony Evers, overcoming a massive fundraising gap.
With about a third of the votes still to be counted in Arizona and Alaska, Democrats Katie Hobbs and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins had wide leads. Democrats also notched gubernatorial victories in Pennsylvania, where incumbent Josh Shapiro handily defeated Stacy Garrity, and New York, where Kathy Hochul sailed to re-election.
Democrat Deb Haaland was elected governor of New Mexico, making her the first Native American woman to win a governorship, while Xavier Becerra became California's first elected Latino governor. In Florida, Republican congressman and Trump ally Byron Donalds edged out David Jolly, a former Republican turned Democrat, becoming the Sunshine State's first Black governor.
Democrats aimed to win a majority of governorships for the first time since the 2006 midterm elections. Republicans have held a majority of governorships since the 2010 election.