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Midterms bring in wave of historic firsts for some states — and for the nation
Going into Election Day, this midterm featured one of the most diverse slates of both Democratic and Republican candidates in recent years. Now it is shaping up to be a wave of historic leadership firsts across the country.Voters on Tuesday night elected the first Black female governor, the first Native American female governor, the first Native woman senator and the first openly gay male U.S. senator. Meanwhile, the first Muslim U.S. senator was still within the realm of possibility. Most are Democrats, but the GOP has also broken some new ground.While some of these candidates have avoided focusing on the inherent historic value of their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, some voters’ rights advocates are celebrating how the electorate has expanded. var pymParent = new pym.Parent('embed-nbc-map-26', 'https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/results-map/embed/partner', {title: '', parenturlparam: '', parenturlvalue: ''});"These firsts show how our country is changing," Alexis Anderson-Reed, president and CEO of State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity in democracy, said via e-mail. "For years, people of color and LGBTQ+ communities have organized, knocked on doors, talked to voters, held conversations, and done the hard work of saving our democracy,” Anderson-Reed said. “These wins are because of them."Here are some of the races where history was and could be made. First Native American female governorDemocrat Deb Haaland reveled in her history-making moment of becoming the first Native American female governor in U.S. history. Haaland was declared the winner over Republican Gregg Hull, a former mayor, to lead New Mexico. The Laguna Pueblo citizen noted that Native Americans are still here despite past efforts by the federal government to strip them of their languages and culture. "Tonight, in our nation’s 250th year, I stand before you as the first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history," Haaland told ecstatic supporters at a victory celebration.In 2018, Haaland was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Then she became the first Native American Cabinet secretary, running President Joe Biden's Department of the Interior. Charles Curtis, from the Kaw Nation, was the first Native Cabinet member as President Herbert Hoover's vice president.Oklahoma was the only state to elect a tribal citizen for governor — Democrat Johnston Murray in the 1950s and current Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.“I want every child watching to know that your dreams matter and that New Mexico is a place where you can build the life you want," Haaland said, adding that she is living proof. First Native woman senatorsMinnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has become the first Native American female U.S. senator, helping Democrats win back the Senate. A citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan defeated Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter. Tafoya would have been the first Republican of Latina heritage to sit in the U.S. Senate.Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik and a Democrat, could also become the first Alaska Native U.S. senator. Votes in her race to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan are still being tabulated. Peltola was considered a trailblazer in 2022 when she became the first Alaska Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. First Black female governorDemocrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was declared the winner Tuesday night in the Georgia governor’s race, ending 250 years of U.S. history without a Black woman serving as a state’s governor. The former Atlanta mayor was running against Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire businessman. "Tonight should remind us all that no matter what community we come from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person," Bottoms told euphoric supporters. "It’s been defined by all of us, and I will be a governor for everyone in this state.”She will also be Georgia's first governor of color. All 83 of Georgia's previous governors have been white men.Lisa Demuth, the former Minnesota House speaker, however, lost an opportunity to be the first Black female governor. She was overtaken by longtime Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Stacey Abrams is the only Black woman to come close to winning a governor’s race when she got the Georgia Democratic Party’s nomination in 2018 and 2022. First Muslim U.S. senatorAbdul El-Sayed could be the first Muslim American to serve in the U.S. Senate.The progressive Michigan Democrat needs to defeat Republican Mike Rogers in what has been a very tight and contentious race. El-Sayed has had to contend with Republicans all the way up to Trump implying or overtly stating that the Michigan-born epidemiologist is not American and supports terrorism. Trump has called him "dangerously radical,” "too extreme" and referred to him as "Mohammed.” El-Sayed and his supporters have denounced the attacks as Islamophobic or racist affronts to religious freedom. First openly gay male U.S. senatorDemocratic Rep. Chris Pappas has won his U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire and becomes the country's first openly gay male senator. He defeated former Republican U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who previously served in both chambers of Congress.This new benchmark is not something Pappas has dwelled on while campaigning, saying "I'm not running to make history." But he also applauded the fact that his sexual orientation was not a huge source of discussion among potential voters.First Black governorsThe U.S. could go from having only three elected Black governors in its 250-year history to gaining seven more overnight. On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the third one in the U.S. and the only current Black governor, won reelection, while Republican Byron Donalds was elected Florida’s first Black governor. With Bottoms’ victory in Georgia, two Deep South states will be governed by a Black leader for the first time. Besides Minnesota, the trio could have new peers in Wisconsin, Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan.Moore, chair of the National Governors Association, has called the presence of so many Black gubernatorial contenders "a unique moment." It’s not "an applause line" but a challenge to make diverse gubernatorial nominees more common, he said.Record year of women running for governor and CongressThis midterm has been a record-breaker for women vying for state and federal offices. Democrats increased their 2022 number of women candidates to 19 running for governor, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The Republican Party has seven women setting their sights on governor.Like Minnesota, Tennessee will elect its first female governor. The main candidates are Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis city councilwoman. The election of the first Democratic Asian American woman as governor could happen in Vermont with Amanda Janoo, who is half Malaysian. In Oklahoma, Democrat Cyndi Munson, a former state lawmaker of Korean descent, lost her race Tuesday for governor. Former Republican Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, who is of Indian heritage, was the first Asian American female governor.Nearly 300 women, including incumbents, are running for the U.S. Senate and House, as documented by Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics.Among them is Democrat Juliana Stratton in Illinois, who defeated Republican Don Tracy on Tuesday. Stratton, the current lieutenant governor, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. With fellow Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is of Thai heritage, the pair will make Illinois the first state to be represented by two female senators of color. Stratton’s win also means there will be three Black women serving in the Senate.___Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Susan Montoya Bryan and Savannah Peters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Democrats flip four governorships, extending the party's inroads into red states
Democratic candidates flipped control of governorships in four races while maintaining power in several other states, further punctuating the party's success in Tuesday's elections.Seizing on a broadly toxic political climate for Republicans, Democrats notched victories in perennial battleground and deep red states across the map.Democratic candidates wrested control of governor's mansions in Georgia, Iowa, Texas and Ohio.The most shocking flip came in Texas — a state that President Donald Trump won two years ago by nearly 14 points, and where the last Democratic governor was elected more than three decades ago.Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, overcoming a massive spending deficit to become the state's first Latina chief executive. Democrats also made history in Georgia, where former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, flipping control of the battleground state office for the first time in 24 years. Bottoms' victory means that she will become the first Black female governor in U.S. history. Bottoms is one of three Black gubernatorial candidates who won on Tuesday, along with Democratic Gov. Wes Moore in Maryland and Republican Byron Donalds in Florida. There has never been more than one Black governor serving at a time before. In Iowa, state Auditor Rob Sand beat Republican Zach Lahn, making him the first Democrat to be elected to lead the state in two decades. Trump won Iowa in 2024 by 13 points.And in Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton beat Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, succeeding GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.Republicans entered Tuesday's midterms with a 26-24 advantage in governor's offices across the country, but that majority appeared to be at risk early Wednesday morning. A total of 36 gubernatorial contests were on the ballot this year. "This incredible milestone marks a new era of Democratic leadership in states across the country," Andy Beshear, the Democratic Governors Association Chair and the Democratic governor of Kentucky, said in a statement. "Democratic governors and the DGA pulled off this amazing turnaround by competing and winning everywhere, staying focused on the biggest issues impacting Americans every day, and always standing up for our values."Democrats also held onto gubernatorial power in critical swing states.In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany to succeeding two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.And in Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro won re-election by a more-than-20-point margin.Democratic candidates remain locked in tight races in Arizona, Nevada and Michigan early Wednesday morning.In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs lead Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, while in Kansas, state Sen. Cindy Holscher was locked in a tight contest with Republican Ty Masterson. Despite Kansas' history as a solidly Republican state, it has had a Democratic governor for the last eight years. In battleground Nevada, state Attorney General Aaron Ford is facing off against GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Democrat James Talarico flips a US Senate seat in Texas and sends a shock through the GOP
Democrat James Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton to pull off the party's first statewide victory in more than 30 years and sending a jolt through a longtime GOP stronghold that President Donald Trump carried by double digits just two years ago.
Vote-scanning machine malfunction to delay counting in New York's Westchester County
A judge has granted permission for elections officials in a major New York county to move thousands of paper ballots to a secure warehouse after a technical problem caused vote-scanning machines to malfunction.The issue will delay the counting of votes in a competitive congressional district until at least Wednesday.The New York Board of Elections said machines at locations throughout Westchester County would not accept paper ballots when polls opened Tuesday because of a programming glitch.Elections officials said the problem happened when they made a software update for one municipal contest after the machines had been prepared and tested. Machines in the other municipalities continued to use the original software and therefore would not recognize the ballots.Voters were instructed to put completed ballots in bags that would be safeguarded to be processed later. The bags were to be transported under police escort to a county warehouse to be scanned and counted under the supervision of representatives of political parties, election officials said.The Westchester County Board of Elections said the ballot counting was to begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday.Westchester County is considered the more liberal-leaning part of New York's 17th Congressional District, which featured a competitive race between GOP Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley.Lawler and Conley implored residents to cast their ballots despite the problem and stressed that all votes would be counted.Lawler said the situation had caused "a lot of frustration, delays, lines and a lot of questions." But he added at a news conference: "I want to be clear. There's no shenanigans going on here."Despite the delayed counting, Lawler conceded defeat late Tuesday. The Associated Press had not called the race as of early Wednesday."When all of the votes are counted tomorrow in Westchester, it's going to be pretty clear that we will be short," he said.Westchester resident Toni Chrystal said she felt "uneasy" after casting her vote Tuesday morning amid the ballot issues.The real estate broker from White Plains said she completed her ballot around 7 a.m. and then dropped it into one of the designated ballot bags at her polling location as instructed."Westchester is one of the richest counties in the state. How does this happen?" she said. "How come they weren't tested yesterday or a week before? Early voting worked. How does it not work now?"___Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.
Gov. Maura Healey wins reelection bid, AP projects
Healey is projected to defeat Republican Mike Minogue in a race the Associated Press called one minute after polls closed. The post Gov. Maura Healey wins reelection bid, AP projects appeared first on Boston.com.
Democrats projected to take U.S. House of Representatives: U.S. news outlets - CityNews Kitchener
Democrats projected to take U.S. House of Representatives: U.S. news outlets CityNews Kitchener
Democrats to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. news sources project - CityNews Kitchener
Democrats to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. news sources project CityNews Kitchener
Utah Mammoth down Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2
Nick Schmaltz scored the winner on a power play with 6:48 left in regulation as the Utah Mammoth topped the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday.
Trump's handpicked RNC chief crushed in North Carolina as Dems flip key Senate seat
Democrat Roy Cooper won North Carolina's Senate race Tuesday, defeating former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projected.The former governor's win flips a seat vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who in his final year was increasingly critical of President Donald Trump. North Carolina is a perennial battleground where Republicans had won every presidential and Senate race after 2008, and both parties invested heavily early in the cycle.The seat was vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who in his final year was increasingly critical of President Donald Trump. North Carolina is a perennial battleground where Republicans had won every presidential and Senate race since 2008, and both parties invested heavily early in the cycle.Cooper led in polls for most of the fall. By November, he held a double-digit lead in FiftyPlusOne's polling average, and Republican strategists described Whatley as struggling to gain traction at the top of the ticket.Spending followed the polls. The GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund pledged $71 million in April to back Whatley but paused its spending in early October after spending more than $30 million, shifting money to races including Kansas.Trump campaigned for Whatley in Gastonia and Greenville. In Gastonia, he suggested he might withhold remaining Hurricane Helene relief funds if Whatley lost, then said he was joking. In Greenville, he tied Camp Lejeune water contamination payouts for military veterans to Republican wins, saying "if we don't win, there's no money."Voting took place under new Republican-backed absentee ballot rules, including a requirement to seal an inner envelope, which a federal judge declined to block before the election. Democrats also wound down spending in the state at this point.Cooper's win flipped a Republican-held seat and gave Democrats a key pickup in their effort to take control of the Senate.
Democrats win control of Senate as US voters reject Trump's agenda
Republicans routed as Democrats gain powerful new leverage over Trump for remainder of his presidencyUS midterm elections – live updatesTrack live results from all 50 statesTell us: what do you want to know about the midterm election results?Democrats have regained control of the US Senate, routing Republicans nationwide with historic victories that will give them powerful new leverage over Donald Trump for the remainder of his presidency.Together with their likely triumph in the House of Representatives, Democrats are expected to have full control of Congress beginning next year, for the first time since 2022. Continue reading...
On TV
NOVA — 53x16: "Evolution: The Mating Game" (PBS)
Abbott Elementary — 6x5: "Courtney" (ABC)
Gregory and Melissa come together to address an issue with a teacher, while Janine spends time with Courtney.
New Music

No new drops today. Go rediscover something in your old playlists.

In theaters
Ghost Soldier (90 minutes)
Henry “Fitz” Fitzgerald has spent years living quietly off the grid, hiding from a past few people know anything about. But when a powerful foreign corporation moves into his hometown to seize his neighbors’ land for a massive payday, Fitz is forced to reveal who he really is: a former Special Forces soldier and advanced weapons developer. Armed with experimental technology, lethal combat skills, and an unwavering code of justice, Fitz wages a one-man war against an enemy that never saw him coming.
The Cat in the Hat (108 minutes)
Assigned his toughest mission yet, the Cat must cheer up siblings Gabby and Sebastian as they adjust to life in a new town. Known for pushing boundaries, this agent of chaos must prove himself or risk losing his magical hat forever.
Club Kid (126 minutes)
A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had.
Launching today
Mir | Demo Flight — Agency for Defense Development (05:00 UTC)
Note: Launch vehicle name is provisional. First orbital full version launch of the South Korean military small satellite launch vehicle, after 2 sub-orbital tests of individual stages on 30 March and 30 December 2022, and 1 orbital test flight without the 2nd stage on 4 December 2023. Details TBD.
Useless Fact

The name Jeep comes from “GP”, the army abbreviation for General Purpose.

The loonie
CAD → USD
0.7146
▼ 0.0008
CAD → EUR
0.6385
▼ 0.0000
Today In History
2008 — Barack Obama Elected First African American U.S. President
Democratic politician Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president of the United States
2001 — Premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The first film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, premiered in London
1995 — Yitzhak Rabin assassinated
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, co-recipient with Shimon Peres and Yāsir ʿArafāt of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994, was assassinated this day in 1995 by a Jewish extremist while attending a peace rally
1980 — Ronald Reagan Elected 40th U.S. President
Conservative Republican Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th president of the United States in 1980.
1979 — Iranian Militants Seize U.S. Embassy in Tehran
In 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, an event sanctioned by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leading to a hostage crisis that lasted over a year.
1946 — UNESCO founded to promote global collaboration
UNESCO was officially established as its constitution entered into force; this specialized agency of the UN called for the promotion of international collaboration in education, science, and culture
1924 — Nellie Tayloe Ross Elected First Woman Governor of Wyoming
American politician Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state (Wyoming)
1922 — Howard Carter Discovers Tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922
British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen
1908 — Joseph Rotblat Born - Nobel Peace Prize Winner
British scientist Joseph Rotblat, a leading critic of nuclear weapons who jointly (with the Pugwash Conferences) won the 1995 Nobel Prize for Peace, was born. How much do you know about the Nobel Prize? Richard Mildenhall/Shutterstock.com
1842 — Abraham Lincoln's Marriage to Mary Todd
Future U.S. president Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842.
1791 — St. Clair's Defeat by the Northwest Indian Confederation
In what became known as St. Clair's Defeat, U.S. General Arthur St. Clair's army was decisively defeated by the British-supported Native American Northwest Indian Confederation

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.