Four Black Governors Elected in Single Night, Doubling Historical Total

Voters elected four Black candidates to state governorships on Tuesday, a milestone that doubles the number of African Americans holding that office in U.S. history.

In Georgia, Democrat Bottoms secured a victory that makes her the first Black woman and the first woman ever to serve as governor in the state. Her win contributes to a new national record of 17 women who will hold gubernatorial positions.

Byron Donalds, the Republican U.S. representative for Florida's 19th District since 2020, will become the state's first Black governor. In Wisconsin, Democrat Crowley defeated Republican Tom Tiffany, a top ally of President Trump, to take the seat in a closely contested purple state.

Maryland voters returned Democrat Moore to office for a second term. Moore first won the position in 2022, becoming the state's first Black governor. Prior to Tuesday's results, only three Black Americans had been elected to the role, including former New York Governor David Paterson, who assumed office after Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008.

Moore described the outcome as a historic moment in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday. "Up until this moment, I was the only Black governor in America," Moore said. "I was very clear that that's a title that I did not want to hold onto for very long."

Bottoms recalled learning of her win while preparing remarks for the following day. She told Gayle King that her husband kicked her while she was listening to audio on her AirPods. "They called it," Bottoms said. "Called what?" she asked, before realizing the result was official.

In Nevada, Democrat Aaron Ford holds a lead of more than 70,000 votes against Republican Joe Lombardo. Ford, who served as state attorney general starting in 2018, would become the first Black governor west of the Mississippi if he wins the undecided race.