In America’s history, only three Black candidates have been elected governor – and they’ve all been Black men and Democrats.
This year, that pool has grown to include a mix of Republicans, Democrats, and women who want the focus to be their policies, not their identity making history.
Incumbent Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined the ranks of Black governors in 2022, following in the footsteps of Virginia’s Doug Wilder and Massachusetts’ Deval Patrick. Wilder was elected Virginia’s first Black governor in 1989. Patrick was elected in Massachusetts in 2006 and reelected in 2010.
Earlier this year in response to the redistricting battles across the country, Moore told Capital B, “It’s the greatest form of political redlining we’ve seen in generations, where we are intentionally trying to disenfranchise Black voters and trying to minimize Black leadership in a way that frankly we have not seen since Reconstruction.”
Moore is expected to win a second term on Nov. 3, but he’s also focused on a ballot question that Maryland voters will consider. It would allow state Democratic leaders to redraw congressional district lines in a way that favors the party even more than the current 7-1 map.
“This is a time for us not to just push back, but for us to push forward, and it’s one of the reasons I’m just grateful to be the chief executive inside this moment.”
As the countdown to Election Day continues, who will be the next Black governor with statewide executive power?
Republicans
Byron Donalds in Florida
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is largely favored to replace outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis in the general election on Nov. 3. “We have won a massive victory,” Donalds told supporters at an election night event after the Associated Press called the race in the GOP primary in August.
Donalds is facing David Jolly, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat. The race has been tight and Donalds holds a slight lead. The Brooklyn, New York, native has represented Florida’s 19th District in the state’s southwest since 2021.
Earlier this month Florida A&M students grilled the gubernatorial candidate during a townhall. He’s referenced his time at the HBCU from 1996 to 1999, even though he didn’t graduate from the school. Donald’s campaign has focused on the economy, healthcare, law and order, education and affordability.
Lisa Demuth in Minnesota
Demuth was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018. The Republican is competing against Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the first all-woman major-party race for governor in Minnesota history. In September, she joined a growing number of Republican candidates calling an end to the war in Iran.
Demuth’s campaign has focused on education, affordability, public safety, and fraud prevention. Despite frequent portrayals of Minnesota as unique or among the worst in the nation at preventing fraud from government programs in recent years, data shows otherwise. Polling shows Klobuchar with a nearly 10-point lead.
John James in Michigan
The Republican congressman has called himself the “only candidate for governor who is a true outsider to Lansing,” the state’s capital city. Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state, has a six-point lead among likely voters against James. Benson’s lead widens to 11 points among registered voters, according to a recent Marist poll.
James became the first Black Republican elected to Congress when he was elected to represent the state’s 10th Congressional District in 2022. He voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and anti-abortion legislation. He’s also co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that supports the Great Lakes and nuclear prevention. James continues to face ethical complaints from constituents who allege he misused taxpayer money to fund his gubernatorial campaign. In 2026 the claims were dismissed, finding “no reasonable justification.”
Democrats
Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia
The former Atlanta mayor is locked in a tight race with wealthy businessman and Republican nominee Rick Jackson. A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll puts Jackson and Bottoms in a statistical dead heat, with Jackson ahead of Bottoms by a single digit. Recent polling in the race shows Jackson similarly ahead by a small margin. Bottoms is the second Black woman in state history to run for governor on a major party ticket. Stacey Abrams became the first in 2018 when she launched the first of her two historic bids.
In recent ads from Jackson’s campaign, Bottoms has been accused of abandoning Atlanta, but she served her full term and chose not to seek a second term. She’s campaigned on education, housing, healthcare, and helping farmers and small businesses.
David Crowley in Wisconsin
Milwaukee’s county executive is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. Crowley had a slight lead over Tiffany, according to the final Marquette University Law School poll . The poll showed 51% of likely voters supporting Crowley and 44% backing Tiffany, with 4% undecided. The poll’s margin of error among likely voters was 4.7 percentage points.
In his campaign, Crowley said he’d push for age limits on social media accounts and restrict young people’s access to chatbots. Delivering jobs and wages that build futures, healthcare, expanding the middle class and entrepreneurship have also been among his campaign promises.
Aaron Ford in Nevada
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is hoping to flip Nevada blue. Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo is favored to win in the swing state, but it’s been a razor thin race. Polls have shown them in a statistical tie.
Ford is running on affordability, promising to be “the most pro-working-class governor” the state has seen. He’s pledged that he would sign new versions of vetoed bills on prescription drug costs, corporate home buying, and free school meals, and he backs repealing right-to-work laws.
Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina
Johnson, a representative in the South Carolina House, is facing Republican Alan Wilson, who’s the state’s attorney general. His campaign has focused on his work advocating for better infrastructure, broadband access, and medical access for rural communities, among other issues. An Oct. 19-26 New York Times/Siena University poll put Wilson at 51% and Johnson at 44%.
Wes Moore in Maryland
The incumbent is expected to win a second term. Most polls show him with a considerable lead over Republican Dan Cox. A recent poll showed that Moore would pick up 51% of likely voters while Cox was favored by 24%. The poll found 14% didn’t know, while 11% were divided between other candidates. Cox has been critical of Moore’s support for changing the state constitution, which currently requires congressional districts to be contiguous and follow natural boundaries. “This is outrageous. This is not democracy. Marylanders should not surrender their protection of community boundaries under our own state constitution,” Cox said.
In an interview with Capital B about redistricting earlier this year, Moore said, “I will never move on from fighting for our democracy, and it is something that I know is going to be a long-term fight.”
