Dagens Nyheter4 hours agoPolitics2 min read

After the election, 17 states are led by female governors

Several historic breakthroughs in US state and congressional elections, including first indigenous representative and first openly gay man in the Senate

Quick Look

Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes Georgia's first black female governor.
Deb Haaland becomes the first indigenous governor of New Mexico, Peggy Flanagan the first indigenous senator in Minnesota, and Chris Pappas the first openly gay man in the Senate from New Hampshire.
Democrats gain a majority in both chambers in January, and Hakeem Jeffries becomes America's first black speaker.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Georgia has historically been a hub for slavery and the slave trade, and Atlanta was a key city during the civil rights movement where Martin Luther King Jr. was active. Several state and congressional elections have recently been held in the United States, but not all results have been confirmed yet.

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Never before has an American state been led by a black, female governor. But with Keisha Lance Bottom's election victory in Georgia, that is changing. The southern state has in many ways been at the center of US history. Georgia was the hub of slavery, with labor-intensive cotton plantations and several of the nation's largest markets for the slave trade. During the civil rights movement, Atlanta was a key city, where the pastor and activist Martin Luther King Jr. was active.

More women have broken ground: New Mexico's Deb Haaland becomes the first Native American to be elected governor, the highest political position in a state.

The totality of America's new governors is remarkable - with a fire clap because not all elections are confirmed yet 17 states (out of 50) seem very likely to have a woman as chief executive; the majority of them Democrats.

In the northern US, Peggy Flanagan won in Minnesota over her Republican opponent, becoming the first woman of indigenous background to take a seat in the US Senate. As such, she may possibly be joined by Mary Peltola from Alaska, but due to the state's electoral system, the vote count is still ongoing there.

In the same chamber on Capitol Hill, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire also gets a seat. He becomes the first openly gay man there.

The Democrats, who made a brilliant election result, will get a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives when the new Congress is sworn in in January - where the total number of women, however, will decrease from today's 152 to 139.

The work there will be led by Hakeem Jeffries - who will be the very first black speaker of the United States.

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What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

The new Congress is sworn in in January and the Democrats gain a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Very likely · Within weeks
Hakeem Jeffries becomes America's first black speaker.
Very likely · Within weeks
Mary Peltola may win a Senate seat from Alaska, but the vote count is still ongoing.
Possible · Within weeks

Open Questions

What party does Keisha Lance Bottoms belong to?
When exactly is the new Congress sworn in in January?
What will be the final result in Alaska's ongoing vote count?
How many women in total will sit in the new Congress?