Winning candidates from US 2026 midterm elections make historic firsts

Tuesday's midterm saw almost every single US Senate, House and gubernatorial race shifting to the left compared to the 2024 presidential election in what the Associated Press described as a clear rebuke of President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

The blue wave has brought about a historic cascade of milestones to the nation.

There were cheers at election parties in New Mexico where Deb Haaland will become the state's first Native American woman to serve as a governor. Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, declared after defeating Republican Gregg Hull that Native Americans are still here despite efforts by the federal government to strip them of their languages and culture.

Georgia has elected its first Black woman governor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

And Chris Pappas is set to become the first openly gay male US senator representing New Hampshire.

By early Wednesday, the election feat of the first Muslim US senator, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, also added to the list of barrier-making milestones.

In the Deep South, which is long regarded as a Republican territory, Mississippi's Democratic candidate Scott Colom has been campaigning to become the state's first Black senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era.

He is holding a narrow lead.

"I just want to start off by thanking the people of Mississippi from the bottom of my heart. Whether you voted for me or not. Thank you for using your power to exercise your vote yesterday, I'm very proud of our state," he said.

The AP's vote shift maps revealed every county in Texas significantly shifted back toward Democrats, including areas with large Latino communities, reversing major gains that the Trump administration made across the state two years ago.

Video footage shows Texans celebrating Democrats' big wins in the Senate and governor races in the city of Austin as the results came in.

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton to win a statewide office for the first time since 1994, while Gina Hinojosa was elected as the first Latina governor of the Lone Star state.

The current House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said the incoming majority would prioritise affordability and accountability.

Jeffries said: "And the days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over. House Democrats are going to lead a Congress that does serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch."

The New York lawmaker is poised to remain Democratic party leader for the next two years and become the first Black speaker in the 237-year history of the House on January 3.