A record number of Black candidates are running for high offices in this year’s midterm elections, and a slew of historic wins could help reshape politics.
Stacey Abrams, Chris Jones and Val Demings. (Megan Varner/Getty Images; Stephen Swofford/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP; Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images file)
By Char Adams
Recently, two dozen Black major party candidates are battling for U.S. Senate, governor and other high office positions across the country. This is already a record, and, if successful, some of the candidates would be the first Black people to hold the top elected offices in their states.
There have been seven Black senators and two governors elected in the nation’s history since Reconstruction. At least 28 states have had a Black representative in Congress, and Black Americans hold 56 seats in the House. In the midterms there are 11 running for Senate; 5 running for governor; and about eight running for high offices like attorney general, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. To that note, these elections could produce some historical firsts for their Black candidates.
Although the House of Representatives has seen more diversity in recent years, with the 116th Congress having the most diverse class of members in its history, the 2022 midterms could increase those numbers and offer some historic firsts. Democrat Summer Lee, a second-term Pennsylvania state House member, who is a favorite to beat out Republican Mike Doyle, would become the first Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania. Community organizer Democrat Odessa Kelly would be the first openly gay Black congresswoman and the first Black woman to represent Tennessee in Congress if she wins against her Republican opponent, Rep. Mark Green.
These wins would help diversify the overwhelmingly white, male makeup of the highest offices and signal a modicum of progress in a country still feeling the racial ripple effects of Donald Trump’s presidency and the desire for change after the George Floyd protests of 2020. In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams is hoping to defeat GOP Gov. Brian Kemp to become the state’s first Black governor — she’d also be the first Black woman in the country’s history to hold a governor seat. In Maryland, Rep. Anthony Brown could be the state’s first Black attorney general if he defeats Republican Michael Peroutka. Smaller historic races include Rep. Karen Bass’ bid to become Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor.
Here are the Black major party candidates who could make history if they win high-office races in the midterms.
ARKANSAS
Natalie James
Democrat James is running against GOP incumbent John Boozman for U.S. Senate and would be the first Black member of Congress from Arkansas if successful. A small-business owner and community organizer, James has vowed to prioritize health care, education, and economic growth. This comes at a time when Black women are running for local, state and federal offices in record numbers, according to Higher Heights for America PAC, a political action committee that works to elect Black progressive women nationwide.
In Arkansas, Democrat Chris Jones would be the first Black governor in the state’s history if he beats out Donald Trump’s former press secretary Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He’s spent his campaign visiting every county in the state, promising to promote education and economic growth if elected.
ALABAMA
Yolanda Flowers
In Alabama, Democrat Flowers is battling GOP incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey to become governor. Flowers would be the first Black woman to hold the office in Alabama, and she’s already made history as the first Black woman from either major party to win the nomination for governor. A former educator, Flowers has said she would work to address gender-based pay disparities and reform the criminal justice system if elected.
Will Boyd
Boyd, a Democrat, would be the state’s first Black U.S. senator if he beats out his Republican opponent, Katie Britt, in the midterms. A pastor in Florence, Boyd has long dedicated his influence to education, supporting workers, small businesses and affordable health care. Although his campaign has struggled with fundraising compared to Britt’s, he has remained hopeful, with a campaign spokesperson telling the Alabama news outlet WHNT, “Fortunately for us, money alone doesn’t determine who wins elections.”
CALIFORNIA
Angela Underwood Jacobs
Republican Underwood Jacobs is hoping to replace Democratic incumbent Eleni Kounalakis as California’s lieutenant governor, a position that has served as a stepping stone to becoming governor in the past. Underwood Jacobs — who has campaigned on public safety, housing, and lowering taxes — would be the first Black woman to hold the office.
CONNECTICUT
Stephanie Thomas
Democrat Thomas, a small-business owner, could become Connecticut’s first Black secretary of state. She is battling Republican Dominic Rapini for the position. Thomas has spent years working with nonprofit organizations and has focused her campaign on combating voter suppression and false claims of voter fraud.
FLORIDA
U.S. Rep. Val Demings
Demings, a Democrat and currently a three-term congresswoman, is battling Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida for a Senate seat. If she wins, Demings, who has already made history as Orlando’s first woman police chief in 2007, would be the first Black person to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate. She’d be the second Florida woman in the office after some 40 years. Demings, who was on Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president, has vowed to protect voting rights and prioritize public safety and employment.
Aramis Ayala
Democrat Ayala is running for attorney general in Florida against Republican incumbent Ashley Moody, and, if successful, would be the state’s first Black attorney general. She’s already made history as Florida’s first Black state attorney in 2016 and made headlines in 2017 when two Orlando Police Department officers pulled her over for what some called an unnecessary traffic stop. Ayala is a fierce death penalty opponent, but received mixed reactions when she announced that her state attorney’s office would stop seeking death sentences.
GEORGIA
Stacey Abrams
No Black woman has ever been elected governor of Georgia. Now in her second bid for the position, all eyes are on Abrams, the Democratic nominee, and her GOP opponent, Gov. Brian Kemp, in the contentious race. Abrams has championed progressive ideas like extending child-care and raising pay for teachers. Since her 2018 upset to Kemp, Abrams has prioritized combating voter suppression and mobilizing voters. Prior to her first bid for governor, she founded the New Georgia Project, which emerged as one of the most fervent voter support groups in 2020.
IOWA
Deidre DeJear
Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate DeJear is among a handful of Black women who would potentially make history if they win their races and become the first Black woman governors in the U.S. DeJear, the first Black woman to earn a major party’s nomination for Iowa governor, is trying to upset Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds. With limited campaign funds, DeJear has relied on a grassroots approach, visiting counties across the state to spread her message of stronger education policies and reproductive rights.
KENTUCKY
Charles Booker
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