US midterms bring historic firsts, from first Muslim senator to first Black woman governor
Abdul El-Sayed is set to become the first Muslim senator in the US (Getty Images)
The 2026 US midterm elections have produced a series of historic results. Among the winners are the first openly gay man and the first Muslim senator, as well as a Black woman who will become a governor, according to Fox News.
New faces in the US Senate
Chris Pappas, a Democrat from New Hampshire, will become the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate.
Photo: Chris Pappas becomes the first openly gay senator from New Hampshire
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat from Michigan, is set to become the first Muslim senator.
Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat from Minnesota, will become the first Native American woman elected to the US Senate.
Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan becomes the first Native American woman in the Senate.
Photo: Julia Letlow will become Louisiana's first Republican female senator
Historic changes in governor's offices
In Georgia's gubernatorial election, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a state in US history.
Photo: Keisha Lance Bottoms will become Georgia's first Black female governor
Bottoms' victory is also historic for Georgia: Democrats have not held the governor's office there since 1998.
Meanwhile, Democrat Deb Haaland will become the first Native American woman elected governor of a state, in New Mexico.
Photo: Deb Haaland will become the first Native American woman to serve as a US governor
Byron Donalds, a Republican, and David Crowley, a Democrat, will become the first Black governors of their respective states, Florida and Wisconsin.
Gina Hinojosa has become the first Latina governor in Texas.
There will also be several firsts for women governors in their respective states:
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Amy Acton – the first woman elected governor of Ohio.
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Marsha Blackburn – the first woman elected governor of Tennessee.
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Amy Klobuchar – the first woman elected governor of Minnesota.
2026 US congressional elections
In the US midterm elections, Democrats are defeating Republicans, taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
As of now, Democrats have won 231 seats in the House of Representatives (218 were needed for a majority), compared with 139 for Republicans. Democrats also hold a majority in the Senate, with 54 seats to Republicans' 44.
Vote counting is still underway.
US President Donald Trump, whose party suffered an election defeat, said he was surprised by the results.
He acknowledged his opponents' success and said he was ready to work with them. He cited the war with Iran as one of the reasons for his party's defeat. At the same time, Trump warned that he intends to use his veto power if he disagrees with bills put forward by the new Democratic majority in Congress.
