2026 Midterms, live | Political upheaval in the United States: Democrats seize total control of Congress in a harsh blow to Trump

2026 Midterms, Live | Political Upheaval in the United States: Democrats Gain Full Control of Congress in Harsh Punishment for Trump Democrats retake the Senate and the House of Representatives | Republicans lose power in Texas after decades, and Gina Hinojosa will be the state's first Hispanic governor after defeating Abbott Key Moments - Democrats take control of the Senate - Democrat Josh Turek wins the Senate battle for Iowa - Democrat Gina Hinojosa becomes the first Hispanic woman to govern Texas - Rob Sand, the Democrat compared to Kennedy, becomes Governor of Iowa - Democrat Sherrod Brown wins the Senate race in Ohio - Trump says he is willing to accept the results Political upheaval in the United States. Democrats have swept the midterm elections in a disastrous night for President Donald Trump. The Blue Party has regained control of the Senate and the House of Representatives after prevailing in Republican strongholds where polls didn't even give them a chance. One of the night's triumphs is in Texas, where Gina Hinojosa becomes the first Hispanic governor after defeating the all-powerful Greg Abbott. Democrats also secured their Senate seat in that state with the victory of James Talarico. Republicans maintained the Senate seat for Florida with the victory of Ashley Moody, and Byron Donalds will be the state's first Black governor, consolidating Florida as a primary conservative enclave. With Congress decided, polls close in Alaska and, therefore, across the United States Although some elections ended hours ago on the East Coast, a few polls were still open. Now, at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time, polls are closing in Alaska. In reality, many of them in this state had closed an hour ago; along with those in Hawaii, only a few polling stations remained open in the Aleutian Islands, a remote territory in the North Pacific. The electoral result in Alaska was important for the Senate to determine if Democrat Mary Peltola secured the seat held by Republican Dan Sullivan. Everything suggests she will, but it will no longer influence the final color of the Senate, which will be blue (Democratic). “I didn't run to make history, but to make a difference,” says Becerra, the next Governor of California In an emotional speech in Sacramento, the capital of California, Democrat Xavier Becerra, winner of the race for the governorship of California, stated Tuesday night that he is ready to change the course of a state particularly hit by economic difficulties and, furthermore, to confront the government of Donald Trump. “These last two years have been difficult: high prices, more wars, corruption, illegalities. But we endured, we fought. It seemed like an impossible mission. We knew it was a necessary mission,” Becerra said, referring to the first two years of Trump's second term. He then referred to immigrants, who have been relentlessly pursued by Trump's immigration police. “There is no California without our diverse communities. Diversity is not a flaw; it is a superpower,” he added. Becerra will be the first governor of Hispanic origin in California in over 150 years. However, he asserted that breaking that glass ceiling was not his primary objective in running for office. “Let me be clear: I didn't run to make history, but to make a difference,” he affirmed. Iran celebrates U.S. midterm election results: “Americans have said ‘No to war’” The Speaker of the Parliament and Iranian chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, celebrated the results of the U.S. midterm elections early Wednesday. “Americans have said 'No to war' and we support this message,” he noted in a message published on X. “If the U.S. Government betrays the will of its people to serve those who pay them and international blackmailers, it will discover that our 'NO' brings a nightmare,” he added. In statements to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, attributed part of the widespread Republican losses in the elections to the war in Iran. However, he said he does not regret starting the conflict at the beginning of this year. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, of Somali origin and hated by Trump, sweeps Minnesota Competing for a district of 700,000 inhabitants in the North of the United States, Ilhan Omar has emerged strengthened in far more than just votes. The congresswoman has become one of the most powerful voices for Democrats, women, Muslims, and migrants in her adopted country. Born in Somalia 44 years ago, Omar sought reelection to the House of Representatives and not only achieved it: she swept the vote. Heavily criticized in recent years by President Trump, whom she has openly confronted, Omar will be able to reaffirm her discourse in the coming years with the endorsement of her electorate: she achieved 76.5% of the votes (with 98.5% counted, 340,000 votes). The Republican candidate obtained barely 16.3% of the ballots. Recently, Trump has been especially aggressive toward Omar, as he is toward the Somali community in general. He has gone as far as spreading the hoax that she married her brother and has publicly called for her deportation. Just two weeks ago, the Department of Justice searched her Washington home with the specific goal of returning her to Somalia. Not only did Trump fail, but his opponent has emerged widely strengthened from the contest. Talarico, in his victory speech: “We have defeated Goliath” After overturning one of the most competitive (and expensive) contests of the midterms, James Talarico thanked voters for his victory: “We just took back Texas,” he said, adding that all the Republican funding money was unable to snatch the contest away. “Power belongs to the people.” The 37-year-old former seminarian, who entered the scene to the sound of a Selena song in honor of the Latinos who voted for him in Texas this Tuesday, made several references to all the money that millionaires like Elon Musk poured into the campaign of his rival, Ken Paxton, adding: “We have defeated Goliath.” Trump's unpopularity also drags down veteran centrist Senator Susan Collins in Maine Not even Susan Collins, a veteran Republican politician known for being a centrist and capable of crossing party lines, escaped the Democratic night of glory. The Senator for Maine, who had spent 30 years in the upper house and aspired to a further six-year term, has fallen, a victim of the extreme unpopularity of President Donald Trump. Democrat Troy Jackson has achieved a victory that expands the ranks of progressives in Congress. Jackson is a surprising winner. No one would have said something like this was going to happen just four months ago, when the official Democratic candidate, Graham Platner, was forced to resign due to a carousel of scandals that included an allegation of assaulting a woman. Then Jackson appeared as an emergency name. Without the charisma of his predecessor, the future Senator for Maine—a state legislator who previously worked in the lumber industry—managed to convey in this campaign an air of an ordinary man concerned about the problems of his neighbors. Two years after losing the White House and the Capitol to the momentum of a Donald Trump risen from the ashes, Democrats comfortably regained control of the House of Representatives and the Senate this Tuesday in the midterm elections. It was an absolute slaughter for the Republicans, a serious punishment for the President of the United States, and a historic evening, despite the overuse of the adjective: such a double legislative loss for the party in power had only occurred on six previous occasions. Trump threatens to veto all laws supported by Congress Donald Trump published an image on Truth of his classic red hat with the word “VETO,” referring to the threat he made during the campaign to veto laws promoted by a Congress that, according to the results, now has a Democratic majority. Democrats take control of the Senate With Josh Turek's victory in Iowa, Democrats have already reached the 51 seats necessary to gain a majority in the Senate. Thus, the party will now control both chambers of the U.S. Congress in the second half of Donald Trump's presidency. Democrat Josh Turek wins the Senate battle for Iowa Democrat Josh Turek, an unexpected candidate in a conservative-leaning state, has become the new senator in the Iowa elections, a territory of vast corn and soybean fields. Turek, 47, has used a wheelchair since he was a child. He started at a certain disadvantage against his rival Ashley Hinson, who was more photogenic and a better speaker than he. But the triple Olympic medalist offered an image of resilience, confidence, and concern for his neighbors that greatly appealed to the inhabitants of Iowa, the rural heart of the country. Turek, who has had to overcome many difficulties in his life, traveled through the state's 99 counties during the campaign, highlighting that families' frustration over the rising cost of living is Donald Trump's fault. In this time, he managed to win the support of influential Iowa farmers, one of the Corn Belt states, thanks to discontent with the president's policies that have increased the cost of diesel and fertilizers. Turek has achieved the first major victory for Democrats in this territory in nearly 20 years. Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton wins the Senate race in Kansas Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton has just made history: he is the first candidate of his party to win a Senate seat in Kansas in nearly a century. With 90% of the votes counted, this Methodist preacher leads with 52.1% of the vote over Republican Roger Marshall, a physician by profession who had held this seat since 2020. Marshall obtained 44.9% of the ballots. The battle between the two was one of the most unexpected, but also one of the most representative of these midterm elections. Kansas, in the center of the country, is a rural and conservative-leaning state, but it has been changing in recent years with the arrival of greater internal migration—especially the Latino population—and an economy seeking to diversify in which the aerospace sector plays an important role. Diesel price hikes and tariffs have particularly affected this state. With this perspective, Democrats chose Hamilton as their candidate, who, according to a Democratic strategist told the political analysis consultancy The Cook Report, is considered “the party's best recruit.” Hamilton, who holds very moderate positions, is the founder and director of the Resurrection Church, the largest Methodist congregation in the entire United States, author of about thirty books, and well known for his pastoral role. At the same time, the Republican candidate, who in 2020 benefited from Donald Trump's support in his campaign and barely had to exert effort then to win the seat, was slow to set up his campaign. By then, he was already on the defensive in the polls. In September, a scandal exploded in his hands that seems to have been crucial: an investigation by The New York Times found that, during his time as a gynecologist, his practice had sued nearly 700 patients for non-payment—most of them low-income in rural areas—and imposed 18% surcharges on overdue bills. Eighty were arrested for failing to appear at court summons. Joy and expectation at a party in Detroit supporting El-Sayed There are no results yet, but the faces already show sustained joy. With 30% of the votes counted, television screens show a slight four-point lead in favor of Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. At a party organized by the small Working Families Party in Detroit, everyone trusts that this doctor, the son of Egyptian immigrants, will be the next senator for Michigan. "I am very happy about what is happening. Abdul is the leader we need to fight for people's real problems and against Trump, who, if we let him, will become a dictator," comments Alexis Escoto, 24. Something similar is suggested by Mariah Shropshire, 25, who believes El-Sayed can help reverse cuts in healthcare and education. "And he will also make sure there is accountability for the brutal corruption we see in Washington." Democrat Gina Hinojosa becomes the first Hispanic woman to govern Texas Gina Hinojosa's victory came as a surprise to Texas, after a campaign she ran with almost no party support until a few weeks before early voting began. She thus becomes the first Latina to govern a state that had three consecutive terms under the command of Republican Greg Abbott. Daughter of a prominent Democratic politician in the state, Hinojosa was born and raised in Texas border towns in the Rio Grande Valley, a contested territory in these midterms. She graduated as a lawyer and notes on her website that she came into politics by accident, after defending the closure of her son's school after the state threatened to cut its funding. She won that battle and in 2015 became the president of the parents' board of the Austin school district. A year later, she was elected as a state representative, a position she has held until now. Her campaign slogan was “Don't let yourself be pushed around,” and she promised to address educational issues that concern parents in the state, but above all, she committed to fighting the corruption that she noted Governor Abbott generated. Rob Sand, the Democrat compared to Kennedy, becomes Governor of Iowa Rob Sand, a 44-year-old moderate Democrat, has become the new governor of Iowa, a state characterized by its cornfields in the heart of rural America. He defeated Republican Zach Lahn by a comfortable lead of more than nine percentage points. Sand, a former model who walked runways in Paris and Milan, managed to connect with Iowa's rural electorate through his passion for bow hunting and, above all, by presenting himself as a politician seeking to unite and heal wounds amidst a climate of growing polarization since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Sand tends to criticize the current political system dominated by “two private clubs,” as he calls the two major parties. He has focused on the cancer crisis in the state and the problems of farmers with diesel and fertilizer prices. Democrat Sherrod Brown wins the Senate race in Ohio Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown prevailed in the Senate race in Ohio, one of the seven most contested and key for control of the Upper House, according to AP calculations. Brown, a former senator who lost his seat in 2020 to current Vice President J.D. Vance, defeated Republican Jon Husted, who had held the position since Vance became the second-in-command of the U.S. government. Husted, a career bureaucrat without particular charisma, had been appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to replace Vance and had not had to undergo any popular vote until now. He had left no special mark in the year and a half he held the position. To such an extent that, in the campaign, many voters thought Brown was still the incumbent senator. Trump's participation in rallies to support him changed that situation. Not necessarily in Husted's favor. As in all the United States, the president is very unpopular in the state. But in one of those campaign events, he began praising the candidate's “muscular” backside. And he praised it. And he continued praising it until the end of this week, in his last visit to the state before the elections. Trump explained that he began studying the physique closely after learning that he had played American football in college. “I had never done something like that with a man,” he affirmed. “I examined his ass and then I noticed his shoulders. I looked at his feet, his hands, the jaw. I studied him. He has a good jaw,” he said. Those statements went viral and succeeded in getting more people talking about Husted, 59, during his entire tenure as senator. But it does not seem to have been enough to win him reelection. The last major poll published on the eve of the elections, Siena for the New York Times, predicted a five-percentage-point lead for Brown over his muscular opponent, 49% to 44%. Democratic candidate James Talarico won a Senate seat for Texas this Tuesday against Republican Ken Paxton. He thus secures the first state-level victory for his party in more than three decades. AP projections place the Democrat as the winner with 59.4% support against his rival, who had the support of President Donald Trump and million-dollar funding from Elon Musk, with 66.1% counted. Xavier Becerra wins the governorship of California and will be the first Latino in the office since 1875 Democrat Xavier Becerra wins the governorship of California. Son of Mexican immigrants, he will become the first Hispanic governor of that state in over 150 years. The last to hold that office was Romualdo Pacheco, who led the state for barely ten months until December 1875. The Democrat left behind Republican Steve Hilton, who had the support of President Donald Trump. The results were announced in barely five minutes, with almost no votes counted. This demonstrates the scale of the votes accumulated by Becerra. Deb Haaland, the first Native American governor in the United States Democrat Deb Haaland, 65, defeated Republican Greggory Hull in the elections for the governorship of New Mexico. With her victory, the veteran politician makes history by becoming the first Native American woman to govern a state. Haaland, daughter of two Navy veterans, is a 35th-generation New Mexican and was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior during former President Joe Biden's term. Previously, she was a member of the House of Representatives for New Mexico's first district. She has long been an influential figure in a conservative-leaning state like New Mexico. The new governor focused her campaign on demanding new environmental regulations and more school programs. Hull, who had served two terms as Republican governor in New Mexico, will make way for the Democrat. Democrat James Talarico snatches the Senate seat for Texas from the Republicans “We did it,” the crowd shouts in Austin. Democratic candidate James Talarico won the Senate seat for Texas this Tuesday, after one of the tightest contests the state has seen in recent decades. It was no surprise for those present at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, where the campaign welcomed dozens of its voters and followers since the afternoon. Talarico, a rising Democratic star and 37-year-old state legislator, reaches the seat with the votes of Democrats, but also with those of Republicans disappointed with President Trump, who promised to improve the country's economy and, nearly two years after his election, has failed to do so. He also arrives with the promise that he will push for immigration reform in Congress, a measure expected for years that has always remained stalled at this stage. Trump says he is willing to accept the results President Trump spoke with two reporters from The New York Times to tell them that he is willing to accept the election results. Also, that he will work with the Democrats. “We look forward to collaborating with them. We will probably reach some kind of agreement,” he stated in a tone unusually conciliatory for him. In that interview, Trump insisted on the rhetorical shift of a post published on Truth, attributing the Republican defeat to the fact that he was not on the ballot. He also clarified that he does not regret putting forward candidates like Darline Graham (South Carolina) and Ken Paxton (Texas), two of the night's big losers. Polls close in California, the most populous and richest state in the United States At eight o'clock Pacific Time (eleven o'clock Eastern), polls closed in the state of California, the most populous in the country with 40 million inhabitants. 7.3 million people had already voted early. California is deciding who its next governor will be following the departure of Gavin Newsom, although everything indicates it will be another Democrat, Xavier Becerra, against Republican Steve Hilton. Also, the country's second-largest city, Los Angeles, will decide whether to keep its mayor, Karen Bass, or replace her with Councilwoman Nithya Raman. In addition to California, the state of Washington, the furthest northwest in the country, also closes its polls. Only Hawaii, which closes in one hour, and Alaska, a fundamental territory in this contest, in two. Hakeem Jeffries would be the first Black Speaker of the House of Representatives With the projected Democratic victory in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries would be the first Black Speaker in U.S. history and the first Black legislator to lead either of the two parties in Congress. The 53-year-old New Yorker would take office as President of the Lower House in January. First, he must secure the support of his party for the vote, but few doubt he will be chosen to represent the Democrats in the new House of Representatives. Jeffries was reelected as New York's representative for District 8 for the eighth time this Tuesday. The congressman said that, as Speaker, he will launch several investigations into President Donald Trump and his inner circle. Democrat Amy Acton wins the governorship of Ohio over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy Democratic candidate Amy Acton defeated her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy, for the governorship of Ohio, in what was likely the dirtiest battle of these elections. It was the dirtiest due to an ad against Acton released barely fifteen days before the election, recorded by the rival's campaign, which immediately sparked repulsion even from other Republican politicians in the state and tested how far voters were willing to tolerate low blows. In the television advertisement, an elderly woman identifies herself as Donna Arthur, the mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. She immediately begins insulting her daughter, calling her a pathological liar, before urging voters not to choose her under any circumstances. What the ad didn't mention was that Acton had suffered sexual abuse by her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, during years of her childhood. When social services finally intervened and the man was charged, Cledith and Donna fled Ohio before a trial could be held. Acton, then twelve, has not maintained contact with her mother, whose custody of the girl and her other son was revoked for severe abuse and neglect. The admission from Ramaswamy's campaign that the ad was their idea, and that they were going to spend four million dollars to air it, generated a huge wave of sympathy for Acton, a brilliant doctor who was highly praised during the COVID pandemic for the response of the Ohio health services, which she headed. In the last ten days of the campaign, the voting intention in her favor, which had been in a technical tie with the Republican's, skyrocketed. Express Analysis | Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives The blue wave that swept through the United States this Tuesday has given control of the House of Representatives to the Democratic Party in the midterms, according to projections made by this newspaper with provisional results. Democrats have managed to snatch several important districts from the Republicans. They only needed three votes to regain control of the Lower House, but forecasts ensure a comfortable Democratic victory based on the evolution of the vote count in the most contested states. In North Carolina, for example, a conservative-rooted state, Democrats have taken the majority of the seats (9) compared to the five obtained by Republicans. In Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New Jersey, there has also been a change of hands in favor of the Democrats. With the votes officially confirmed, the party already has more than 120 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. They need at least another 108 victories, but the West Coast districts, which vote overwhelmingly blue, have yet to be counted. Furthermore, these are the most populous territories that distribute the most seats. The Democratic victory, awaiting official confirmation, will bring the leader of the Democrats in the Lower House, Hakeem Jeffries, closer to the new role of Speaker of the House. Trump says if he had run, the victory would have been “crushing” Trump has asked his followers dozens of times in recent weeks to vote today as if he were on the ballot. True to his style of denying reality when it doesn't suit him, the President of the United States just sent a message on Truth that says: “I was not on the ballot, and if I had been, we would have reaped A CRUSHING VICTORY!”. The night looks like a catastrophe for the occupant of the White House. Ossoff: “The people of the US have rejected Trump's corruption and incompetence” Democratic Senator for Georgia Jon Ossoff asserted that his triumph tonight in his reelection battle means that “the American people have rejected the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the failed President Donald Trump.” In his victory speech, the senator, considered a possible presidential candidate in the 2028 elections, declared that “we have shown not only that unity is possible, but that we can overcome divisions without sacrificing the clarity of our purpose.” Ossoff, the youngest senator in the U.S. Upper House, prevailed over his Republican rival Mike Collins in a state that Trump won in the 2024 elections by two percentage points. In his address, in which he paid tribute to former Senator John Lewis, one of the great leaders of the civil rights movement and the great political reference for the current legislator, Ossoff called to “revive the great national spirit that defeated fascism and established the social security system, that took man to the moon and passed civil rights laws to respond to the challenges and obligations of our time.” Republican candidate Darline Graham, defeated in South Carolina, the big surprise (for now) of the night Democratic candidate in South Carolina, Annie Andrews, has been the biggest surprise of the night so far. She prevailed in that very conservative state to defeat Republican Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, in the race for a Senate seat. The result represents a particularly loud slap in the face for President Donald Trump, who had personally proposed the Republican to replace her brother and persuaded her to try and renew the seat in these elections. The U.S. President had poured his support into Graham, both in public statements and in fundraising for her. He even traveled to South Carolina to participate in a rally in support of his protégée, as he had already done during the primaries. But polls had indicated an increase in voting intention in favor of Andrews in recent days and the possibility of a surprise. Andrews, a physician by profession, ran a competent campaign. In one of the states of greatest Republican dominance over the last few decades, she chose to emphasize her independence and avoided having the heavyweights of her party campaign alongside her. But in this case, the vote seems less an endorsement of the Democrat than a vote of no confidence in Graham, whose inexperience was evident since the primaries in which she defeated, with the support of the pro-Trump machinery, her main rival, professional politician Ralph Norman. In August, Graham responded that she “didn't know much” about national security issues—one of her brother's specialties—to a question in a primary debate. After his defeat in the primaries by a few thousand votes, Norman refused to campaign for Graham. His son, another budding Republican politician in South Carolina, announced that he would support the Democratic candidate. How are things going? A summary of the night (for now) Democrats had said they felt “nauseatingly optimistic” about the elections, and the night so far is confirming their predictions. Here is what we know: In the Senate, they have taken several key seats that pave their way toward control of the Upper House. Roy Cooper returns the state to the blues almost 20 years later; in Georgia, Jon Ossoff, one of the party's stars, has defended this enclave; in Maine, the victory of Chris Pappas makes him the first openly gay senator in U.S. history. Winners have not yet been declared in other key states: Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Kansas… But even South Carolina, which was never on the lists of competitive contests for Democrats, has turned blue. In the House of Representatives, the opposition has also flipped six congressional districts, some of which the Republicans had manipulated through gerrymandering to favor them. Much voting remains on the West Coast: in California, polling stations are still open, but with so many solidly progressive districts, it seems quite clear they will regain the Lower House. EL PAÍS's electoral projection model gives Democrats more than a 90% probability of victory. Gerrymandering doesn't work for Republicans in Florida In May, as part of a national wave driven by President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis redrew the state's electoral districts to snatch up to four seats in the House of Representatives from the Democrats and add them to the 20 of 28 Republicans already held. But, at least in Florida, gerrymandering—as this strategy of drawing maps to favor a party is known—has backfired. According to AP projections, Jared Moskowitz (District 25) and Kathy Castor (14) have resisted in districts where Trump would have won in 2024 by 9 and 11 points with the new boundaries. Pia Dandiya, who leads her rival by nearly four points with 96% counted, is on track to retain District 22 for the Democrats, and in District 9, Darren Soto maintains a minimal lead. Additionally, the swing toward the Democrats, averaging about 12 points in the state, has left four Republican seats that the map didn't even touch with a difference of less than one point, including those of María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart in Miami. Express Analysis | The count in South Carolina points to better results than expected for Democrats With nearly 90% of the votes counted, the count in South Carolina shows a large lead for Democratic candidate Annie Andrews over her Republican rival, Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. If confirmed, it would be one of the big surprises of the night, which barely appeared on any lists, and would point to a triumph for the opposition above expectations. For the moment, the main battles on this election night seem to lean Democratic in all states where polls anticipated very close results: Maine, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Alaska, and Texas. In all of them, the count shows a Democratic advantage. But few had included South Carolina, a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in two decades, in their lists. Now, and for the moment, Andrews, a physician by profession, leads Graham by about four percentage points and nearly 80,000 votes. About 240,000 remain to be counted. Democrats need to capture four more seats than the 47 they started with to guarantee control of the Senate. So far, they have already snatched one from their rivals, in North Carolina. Republican Byron Donalds has won the election for governor of Florida and will become the state's first Black governor. In a tight contest, Donalds, who received the support of President Donald Trump during the campaign, won against Democrat David Jolly by about 1.25 percentage points, with 98% of the votes counted, according to the AP. Texas | “Democracy is not free, we have to work for it,” says a Talarico supporter Every time the results of the Senate contest for Texas are shown, the outdoor patio of the Long Center for the Performing Arts joins in a celebratory shout. It is 8:45 p.m. local time, and Talarico's voters are already celebrating. Salvadoran-American Hebert Portillo came with his sister. He finds it incredible to think that the Democrats will finally have “a great night,” he says. “Today is going to be different,” he says. “We are going to see the results and it will be seen that democracy is based on the people and is not free; that we have to work for it.” Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms wins in Georgia and will be the first Black woman governor in the US Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms will be the next governor of Georgia, after defeating her Republican opponent, Rick Jackson, tonight. Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta, thus becomes the first Black woman governor in the entire United States. The triumph of Lance Bottoms, who is the first woman to hold the office of governor in this southern state, is especially strategic for Democrats heading into the 2028 presidential elections. Senator Jon Ossoff, who has just renewed his mandate for the next six years, is emerging as one of the likely Democratic aspirants. But he could not run if there were no Democrat leading the state: he would leave his seat vacant and a Republican governor could appoint a party colleague to fill it. The top leadership of the Democratic Party had launched their support for Ossoff and Lance Bottoms. Last week, former President Barack Obama participated in a rally on the outskirts of Atlanta to support both candidates. It was the third rally in which the first Black president of the United States intervened: the other two were in two other key locations in these elections, Michigan and Ohio. Democrat Kathy Hochul, reelected governor of New York Kathy Hochul will govern the state of New York again for the next four years. The Democratic politician, who replaced Andrew Cuomo when he resigned in 2021 due to a sexual harassment scandal, has been reelected for a second time after defeating Republican Bruce Blakeman. This was a battle that seemed won in a mostly Democratic territory like the state that hosts the largest city in the United States. Hochul is the first woman to have governed New York in its entire history. The governor belongs to the centrist sector of the Democrats, but has made efforts to reach an understanding with the Mayor of New York, the socialist Zohran Mandani, whom she helped by unfreezing state funds for the city—money that allowed Mandani to fulfill his commitment to expand social programs without unbalancing the budget. Additionally, Hochul led the public response to the group assault on a Cornell University student by appointing Attorney General Letitia James as the head of the investigation.