Democrats gain five governorships: What to know

Democrats flipped five Republican-held governors’ offices in Tuesday’s midterm elections, delivering a series of stunning victories in states that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 and reshaping the political landscape ahead of the 2028 presidential race.The victories in Texas, Iowa, Georgia, Nevada, and Ohio give Democrats an advantage in the nationwide gubernatorial count for the first time in more than a decade. Republicans entered Election Day controlling 26 governorships to Democrats’ 24. With two races still uncalled, Democrats have secured at least 28 governorships to Republicans’ 20.The victories also disrupted Republican control of state government in several traditionally red states, although the degree of legislative control Democrats will have varies by state. Here is a state-by-state breakdown of the results.Texas Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) in one of the cycle’s biggest upsets, ending more than three decades of Republican control of the Texas governor’s office.The Associated Press called the race at 11:17 p.m. Tuesday. Hinojosa received approximately 53.8% of the vote to Abbott’s 44.9%.Abbott conceded Tuesday night after seeking an unprecedented fourth term, acknowledging that the remaining votes would not be enough to overcome Hinojosa’s lead.“It has been the joy of my life to have the opportunity to be the governor of the great state of Texas,” Abbott said. “There are still votes to be counted, but mathematically, we are not going to be able to win this election.”Hinojosa, an Austin state representative and former Austin school board president, will become Texas’s first Latina governor and its first Democratic governor since Ann Richards left office in 1995.“Here’s what Texas said today, loud and clear: Your government belongs to you,” Hinojosa said during her victory speech. “As your governor, I will never forget it.”She campaigned on public education, affordability, and government accountability, while Abbott’s tenure was defined by conservative policies on immigration, abortion, education, and border security.Democrats also scored a major victory in the lieutenant governor’s race. State Rep. Vikki Goodwin defeated Republican incumbent Dan Patrick, receiving 51.7% of the vote to Patrick’s 45.7%. The AP called that race at approximately 2 a.m. Wednesday.The lieutenant governor is particularly influential in Texas, presiding over the state Senate and wielding considerable power over its legislative agenda.Goodwin campaigned on increasing public school funding and teacher pay, expanding healthcare access and repealing the state’s abortion ban.Democrats also made gains in statewide offices and legislative contests. The Texas House entered Election Day with an 88-62 Republican majority, with all 150 seats on the ballot. Preliminary results showed Democrats making substantial gains, although several contests remained unresolved Wednesday morning. The state Senate also had 16 of its 31 seats up for election.Iowa Democrat Rob Sand became Iowa’s next governor, overcoming Republican Zach Lahn and breaking the Republican Party’s decadelong control of state government.The Associated Press called the race at 11:12 p.m. Tuesday. Sand, the state’s auditor and its only Democrat holding statewide office before the election, substantially outperformed then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 showing in a state Trump carried by more than 13 percentage points.Sand campaigned as a centrist, frequently emphasizing his independence from the Democratic Party and arguing that Iowa needed a check on Republican power.“We do live in a broken, two-choice political system where it requires real listening to learn that a candidate that is in the other party doesn’t see you as the enemy,” Sand said during his victory speech. “You listened.”Sand’s victory came alongside another major Democratic breakthrough: Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) to win Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat, marking the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 2008.Republicans, however, retained control of both chambers of the Iowa Legislature, although Democrats made gains. Before the election, Republicans held a 66-33 majority in the state House and a 32-17 advantage in the Senate, with one vacancy. Preliminary results showed Democrats narrowing those margins without securing legislative control.Georgia In the Peach State, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won against Republican businessman Rick Jackson to become Georgia’s next governor, flipping the office after eight years under the leadership of Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R-GA), who had reached his term limit. The last Democrat elected to the governorship was Roy Barnes in 1999.The race was called Tuesday night as Bottoms maintained a substantial advantage in the Atlanta metropolitan area and its suburbs. She defeated Jackson by approximately 54.3% to 45.7%.Jackson conceded Wednesday morning, congratulating the Democratic governor-elect and acknowledging the voters’ decision.“Tonight the voters spoke, and I respect their decision,” Jackson said. “This was a hard-fought election. Keisha Lance Bottoms deserves our congratulations and our prayers as she prepares to take office.”Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, will lead the state during the next presidential election cycle, when Georgia is expected to remain a major battleground.Democrats also made significant gains in the state legislature. Preliminary results Wednesday morning showed Democrats positioned to capture 93 seats in the 180-member Georgia House, compared with 86 for Republicans, with one race potentially headed to a runoff. If the results hold, Democrats will take control of the chamber for the first time since Republicans won it in 2004.Nevada Democrat Aaron Ford won against Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV), flipping Nevada’s governorship and giving Democrats control of the governor’s office alongside their existing majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.The Associated Press called the race at 4:46 a.m. Wednesday. Ford, the state’s attorney general, received approximately 51.7% of the vote, compared with Lombardo’s 44.2%.Ford campaigned heavily on affordability, criticizing Lombardo and Trump over the state’s economic challenges. He will become Nevada’s first black governor.Unlike the other gubernatorial flips, the Nevada victory gives Democrats a unified state government, or trifecta, with control of the governorship, state Senate and Assembly.Ohio Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to win Ohio’s open governor’s race, delivering another major victory for Democrats in a state that has moved increasingly toward Republicans in recent election cycles. The race became one of the most bitter in the country after Ramaswamy’s campaign boosted an attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother.The Associated Press called the race at 10:49 p.m. Tuesday. Acton received 52.3% of the vote to Ramaswamy’s 44.4%.Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate and Trump ally, conceded shortly after 11 p.m., saying he had called Acton to congratulate her.“We are rooting for the success of this state, we’re rooting for your success, and that means that all of us in this room should be rooting for the success of her administration,” he said.2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS AND ANALYSISActon, a physician who previously served as Ohio’s health director, will succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH). When the race was called, Acton was leading in northern Ohio and the Cincinnati-Dayton region, areas Trump carried in 2024. She also made gains in the conservative Ohio Valley, outperforming Harris’s margins in the region.Republicans retained control of the Ohio Legislature, meaning Acton will enter office with divided government.