The Democratic Party captured a majority of governors’ offices for the first time in nearly two decades.
Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Wes Moore of Maryland and JB Pritzker of Illinois were shoo-ins to win their reelection bids, but as affordability concerns motivated voters, other Democratic gubernatorial candidates were able to eke out victories in tight races against Republican opponents in solidly red states, shifting the balance of power nationwide.
One shocking upset came in Texas, where Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott, making her the state’s first Democratic governor since 1994.
Ann Richards, the state’s last Democratic governor, was unseated by George W. Bush, who served as the state’s governor from 1995 to 2000 and went on to become president.
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Hinojosa, soon to be the state’s first Latina governor, proved to be the most formidable of Abbott’s opponents, overcoming a cash disadvantage as the incumbent sought a record fourth term in a race the Cook Political Report classified as “lean Republican.”
In a concession speech Tuesday night, Abbott said he called Hinojosa to congratulate her and said serving Texas for the past 12 years has been the “greatest honor” he’s ever had.
Democrat Amy Acton joined Hinojosa in flipping a previously Republican seat by winning over Vivek Ramaswamy in a state that voted Republican in the last three presidential elections.
The race between Acton and Ramaswamy turned personal when the Ramaswamy campaign spent $1 million on an attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling the Democratic candidate a “liar.” The ad, which garnered widespread condemnation from both parties, drew on Acton’s painful family history: Her mother reportedly sided with Acton’s stepfather, who was accused of sexually abusing her as a child.
Despite the backlash, Vice President JD Vance told upset Republicans to “stop whining.” Trump concurred, referring to the ad as “hitting pay dirt.”
“The healing begins today,” Acton told a crowd of supporters after she was projected to become Ohio’s first Democratic governor in 20 years and the first woman to fill the role. Acton said the results show Ohio chose “union and decency over division and hate.”
In all, 17 women — 10 Democrats and seven Republicans — are set to occupy governors’ offices across the country, a new record.
Rob Sand faced similar headwinds in Iowa, a GOP-stronghold state that also voted for Trump in the last three elections. Like Acton, Sand flipped Iowa’s governor seat to become the state’s first Democratic governor since 2006, running on a platform that eschewed partisanship.
In another historic victory, Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the first Black woman to serve as a U.S. governor after winning her race in Georgia.
Bottoms, in a victory speech Tuesday night, said she planned to govern like “Trump with a Southern tone” and predicted that she would become the president’s “favorite governor.”
David Crowley also made history in Wisconsin with a win over Republican Tom Tiffany to become the state’s first Black governor. When he takes office in January, Crowley will join four other Black governors, another new record.
“People who work together will win, not Democrats, not Republicans, but people, y’all. And I learned that people beats money and power each and every single day,” Crowley said in his victory speech, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. Crowley joined other victorious governors, including Bottoms, in bemoaning the massive amount of money thrown into this election cycle. Bottoms said no amount could ever “overcome the power of the people.”
It was not a clean sweep for Democrats, however. One outlier was Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who beat her Democratic opponent, Memphis City Council member Jerri Green, in one of the country’s tightest gubernatorial races.
Blackburn squeaked out the victory by 2 percentage points, making her Tennessee’s first female governor. In her victory speech, Blackburn said her campaign took a “grassroots approach.”
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