WASHINGTON: The 2026 US midterm elections have delivered two historic milestones in American politics, with Chris Pappas winning a seat in the US Senate and Keisha Lance Bottoms securing the Georgia governorship.
In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas defeated Republican John E. Sununu in the US Senate race, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate. Pappas, who has represented New Hampshire's first congressional district in the US House of Representatives since 2019, will fill the seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
His victory marks a significant moment for LGBTQ+ representation in the country's federal legislature. While LGBTQ+ politicians have previously served in the Senate, Pappas is the first openly gay man to be elected to the chamber.
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson to become the first Black woman elected governor of a US state. A former mayor of Atlanta, Bottoms will also become Georgia's first woman governor.
Her victory marks a major political shift in Georgia, where Republicans have held the governor's office for more than two decades. She will succeed outgoing Republican Governor Brian Kemp.
Bottoms' campaign focused on economic and social issues, including healthcare access, raising the minimum wage, increasing public employees' salaries and repealing Georgia's six-week abortion ban. Her victory also marks a breakthrough for Black women's representation in the highest elected executive offices in the United States.