Eight African American candidates seek governorships in midterms

Eight African American candidates are on the ballot for governor in the 2026 midterm elections. The group includes five Democrats and three Republicans. These candidates are running in Maryland, South Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin, Florida, and Georgia.

The current slate includes Wes Moore in Maryland, Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina, John James in Michigan, Lisa DeMuth in Minnesota, Aaron Ford in Nevada, David Crowley in Wisconsin, and Byron Donalds in Florida. Keisha Lance Bottoms is the final candidate, running in Georgia. Donalds, DeMuth, and James represent the Republican Party. Moore, Johnson, Ford, Crowley, and Bottoms are Democrats.

Only three African Americans have been popularly elected as governors in United States history. Douglas Wilder won the Virginia governorship in 1989. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts followed in 2006. Wes Moore of Maryland captured his seat in 2022 with 64.7 percent of the vote.

The Georgia race is drawing particular attention. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, faces Republican Rick Jackson. Jackson is a healthcare CEO and billionaire who holds the endorsement of outgoing Governor Brian Kemp. Bottoms won her Democratic primary against a crowded field. Jackson won his Republican primary runoff after a tight contest.

Jackson has reportedly poured more than $200 million into his campaign. Despite this spending, he has not secured a decisive advantage. Donald Trump initially supported Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, but Jackson eventually secured the party's main nomination.

Bottoms is attempting to win a seat that has eluded two previous candidates. Stacey Abrams lost to Kemp in 2018 by 54,723 votes. That margin was the closest gubernatorial race in Georgia since 1966. Abrams lost again in 2022 by 7.5 percent of the vote. Roy Barnes was the last Democrat to win the governorship in Georgia, a victory that occurred nearly thirty years ago.

Bottoms' campaign website states she is running to deliver for working families and bring steady leadership to Georgia. If she wins, she will become the first elected African American woman governor in the country. Her path follows the grassroots work of Stacey Abrams, whose efforts helped Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff win U.S. Senate seats in Georgia.

Judson L. Jeffries, a professor of African American and African Studies at Ohio State University, notes the historical parallel. He compares the work of Abrams' team to the on-the-ground efforts of Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. in Chicago. That work contributed to the election of Harold Lee Washington, the city's first African American mayor.