For decades, Black leaders have been preaching that HBCUs consistently punch above their weight, producing some of the nation’s best and brightest doctors, educators, and lawmakers.
If it wasn’t understood before, this year’s midterms proved their point … again.
From Howard University’s hilltop to the highest of seven hills at Florida A&M University, HBCU graduates won state and local offices nationwide. Notable alumni include Georgia Gov.-elect and FAMU Rattler Keisha Lance Bottoms and Spelmanite Adrienne Adams, who will be New York’s first Black woman lieutenant governor.
Governors and lieutenant governors
Keisha Lance Bottoms: Florida A&M University. Atlanta’s former mayor made history as the first Black woman governor in the U.S. The Democrat’s campaign emphasized expanding Medicaid, building more workforce and affordable housing, and protecting Black voting rights. Bottoms received her bachelor of arts in broadcast journalism from FAMU in Tallahassee, Florida.
Byron Donalds: Florida A&M University. The Brooklyn, New York, native will be Florida’s first Black governor. Running on affordability, inflation, and housing concerns, the Republican also focused on immigration crackdowns in the workplace and tax cuts for Florida residents. He attended Florida A&M University before transferring to Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in finance. During his campaign, he emphasized an initiative he led to secure $25 million for FAMU.
Milton Potter: Florida A&M University. Before his win as the lieutenant governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, he was a senator in the U.S. territory. He also served as the Senate president during his tenure. Potter and his running mate, Gov.-elect Stacey Plaskett, highlighted issues such as healthcare, tourism and education. One of their standout promises is to restructure the islands’ Office of Disaster Recovery and create a high-accountability task force, pointing out that many residents are still waiting for aid post-hurricans Maria and Irma. He received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees from FAMU.
Adrienne Adams: Spelman College. Adams’ election night victory is not the first time she made history. In 2022, the Democrat was elected as the first Black speaker of the New York City Council. On the campaign trail, Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul focused on childcare, the cost of living, and public safety. Adams graduated with a bachelor of arts in psychology with a minor in early childhood development from Spelman.
Congressional leaders
Oliver Gilbert III: Florida A&M University. This Rattler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida’s 24th District. The predominantly Black and Latino area in Miami-Dade County includes Little Haiti and Miami Gardens. During the Democrat’s campaign, he centralized affordability, including rising gas prices. He proposed expanding access to healthcare by lowering the eligibility age for Medicare and raising Medicaid income limits. The former mayor of Miami Gardens has also served on the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2020.
Donna Miller: Howard University. This alumna was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, which is 50% Black. Miller has a track record serving the community through her seats as a Cook County commissioner and previous board chair for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. In a voting questionnaire, Miller criticized President Donald Trump and the Republican Party tax cuts. The Democrat vowed to support legislation such as expanding Earned Income Tax Credit and to boost take-home pay for low- and moderate-income workers if elected to Congress. She also criticized artificial intelligence and the government’s usage, given research as shown its racial bias in facial recognition. The Bison received a bachelor of business administration from the university.
Nikema Williams: Talladega College. The Democrat represents Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. She campaigned on affordability, homeownership, and closing the wealth gap. She also emphasized the importance of affordable higher education and programs aimed to support first-generation college students. In 2024, Williams faced backlash from Black Democrats in Georgia following Kamala Harris’ presidential loss, with some Georgians claiming she and the Democratic Party didn’t spend enough resources encouraging local voters. Williams led the party at the state level.
State legislators and other officials
Justin Jones: Fisk University. The outspoken Democrat will continue to serve as the House representative for Tennessee’s District 52, which covers Davidson County in the Nashville-Davidson metropolitan area. The Fisk graduate has spoken out against data centers, including a campus masterplan from his alma mater that proposed a data center on campus grounds. Jones was first elected in 2023. As of now, the data center proposal is on pause. With his reelection, Jones’ current term is extended until 2028.
Letitia James: Howard University School of Law. The well-known Bison was reelected as New York state attorney general. She is the first Black person and first woman elected to the position. First elected in 2019, James brought a fraud case against the Trump Organization. During her reelection campaign, James stood on “holding bad actors accountable” and protecting New Yorkers’ safety. In 2025, the Trump administration indicted James on a charge of bank fraud, but a federal judge dismissed the case, with a grand jury following suit and refusing to reindict her.
Letitia Plummer: Spelman College. Plummer became the first Black woman elected as a judge for Harris County in Texas. The Spelman alumna previously served as a member of the Houston City Council, representing the at-large Position 4 from 2020 to 2025.
Plummer’s agenda heavily relies on disaster relief. On her campaign site, she highlights that previously she secured $900,000 in funding for a new permanent generator that was installed at the Kashmere Gardens Multi-Service Center.
Also a trained dentist, she continued to operate two locally owned practices in the area. In a debate with her opponent Orlando Sanchez, he brought up Plummer’s three-time sanctioned record with the Texas Board of Dentistry. Plummer still defeated her opponent, receiving nearly 61% of the vote, according to Houston Public Media.
