LDF Applauds Historic Wins, Black Voter Turnout

Read a PDF of our statement here.

"Black and brown voters made a statement last night, … [but] our vote was not the final word. " Nelson said

Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson applauded voters' efforts to make their voices heard throughout the 2026 midterm elections, as Black voters turned out in significant and, in some jurisdictions, record-breaking numbers, across the country to help elect a historic slate of candidates to state and federal office. Black voter turnout surpassed previous midterm levels and was especially pronounced in states that gerrymandered their congressional maps in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v Callais, showing that Black voters were determined and motivated. Latino voters had a similarly high turnout, impacting races across the country.

LDF's extensive litigation, advocacy, organizing, and research efforts leading up to the November elections were instrumental in ensuring Black voters had an opportunity to participate in free and fair elections. However, LDF's work does not end when the polls close. The LDF team will continue to monitor the canvassing and certification process in key states to ensure the election process remains free and fair.

A number of candidates made history Tuesday night, including Keisha Lance Bottoms, who became the first Black woman governor in the continental United States; Byron Donalds who became the first Black governor of Florida; David Crowley, who became the first Black governor of Wisconsin; Gina Hinojosa; who became the first Latina governor of Texas; and Deb Haaland, who became the first Native American woman governor in U.S. history. With Wes Moore's projected win in Maryland, 2027 will mark the first time in history that more than one Black person will serve as governor of a U.S. state. And with Juliana Stratton's election to the U.S. Senate, three Black women will serve simultaneously in the Senate for the first time in American history.

"Black and brown voters made a statement last night," Nelson said. "Despite relentless attempts to silence their voices and stifle their power, voters of color turned out in extraordinary numbers. This turnout fueled historic victories across the country, including in Georgia, where voters elected the first Black woman governor in history and Minnesota, where voters elected the first Native American Senator in history. It's clear that voters of color are engaged, motivated, and determined to shape their futures through the ballot box. Anyone who underestimates their political power does so at their own peril."

A number of other candidates made history Tuesday night, including:

• Adrienne Adams: first Black woman to be elected lieutenant governor of New York
• Amy Acton: first woman and first Jewish person elected governor of Ohio
• Xavier Becerra: first elected Latino governor of California
• Marsha Blackburn: first woman elected governor of Tennessee
• Keisha Lance Bottoms: first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history
• David Crowley: first Black man elected governor of Wisconsin
• Byron Donalds: first Black man elected governor of Florida
• Peggy Flanagan: first Native American woman elected to the US Senate
• Aaron Ford: first Black man elected governor of Nevada
• Deb Haaland: first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history
• Gina Hinojosa: first Latina elected governor of Texas
• Melat Kiros: first Gen Z woman elected to Congress and first Black woman elected to represent Colorado
• Amy Klobuchar: first woman elected governor of Minnesota
• Tanya Miller: first Black woman elected Attorney General in Georgia
• Chris Pappas: first openly gay man elected Senator
• Stacey Plaskett: first woman elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Denise Powell: first Latina elected to serve in Congress from Nebraska
• Abdul El-Sayed: first Muslim person elected Senator in U.S. history
• Claire Valdez: first known Indigenous woman elected to represent New York in Congress

The Legal Defense Fund also applauded Virginia voters for approving a ballot initiative to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions upon their release from incarceration. Voters in other states also approved measures expanding voting and civil rights. Massachusetts approved a measure allowing same-day voter registration and Vermont voters approved a measure that will add an equal protection clause to the state constitution.

"The 2026 election gave the people an opportunity to exercise their right to participate in the political process and reclaim their power and they seized it, and the Legal Defense Fund, including our Black Voters on the Rise Team, was proud to be on the ground in communities, on the Election Protection Hotline, and in the courts fighting to protect the political process," Nelson said. "The work of rebuilding our democracy begins now and we must be bold and visionary. LDF will continue its work with Black communities to hold elected officials accountable to address the very real issues facing our communities: ending the thuggery that has been unleashed by the president's reckless deportation forces, ensuring strong and effective educational opportunities for all students, making health care and housing affordable, and creating fair economic opportunities that give everyone a chance to thrive - not just those at the top. Our vote was not the final word."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF)is the nation's first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF's archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.