These 9 candidates for governor just made history

Voters on Tuesday elected the nation's first Black woman governor and the nation's first Native American woman governor.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8256x5504+0+0/resize/8256x5504!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fff%2F7c%2F203e8995464799662e2f7b7a8ba2%2Fgettyimages-2303421332.jpg' alt='New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland (center) speaks to the media during the New Mexico Democratic Party Election Night celebration at the Route 66 Hotel-Casino after being elected as governor on November 03, 2026, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Haaland becomes the first Native American woman to be elected as governor in U.S. history.'/><p>Voters on Tuesday elected the nation's first Black woman governor and the nation's first Native American woman governor. </p><p>(Image credit: Sam Wasson/Getty Images)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6028546' />