Florida’s Donalds joins Moore and five other Black major-party nominees
Seven Black candidates joined Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as major-party nominees for governor on November 2026 ballots, a record slate that includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’s Republican nomination in Florida. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that across 250 years, only three Black Americans have ever been elected governor — all Democrats and all men — and that the slate of seven additional Black major-party nominees alongside Moore far exceeds the historical count.
The three previously elected Black governors were Deval Patrick, David Paterson, and current Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, according to the AP. Moore, who recently became chair of the National Governors Association, framed the moment as both historic and incomplete. “We do have a unique moment here,” Moore said, adding that he often describes his status as a Black governor as “not an applause line” but rather a representation of a bigger challenge the country is still looking to overcome.
With Florida Republicans nominating Donalds on Tuesday, the AP counted seven Black major-party gubernatorial nominees in addition to Moore — men and women, Democrats and Republicans — set to appear on November ballots. Donalds, currently a U.S. representative, did not mention his race in his victory speech Tuesday night. “Florida is a great meritocracy in America,” Donalds told reporters. “I’ll let you guys write about that,” he added.
The 2026 slate spans multiple states and both parties, the AP reported, with Black major-party nominees competing in states including Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The AP’s coverage referenced Stacey Abrams and Keisha Lance Bottoms among figures in Georgia’s gubernatorial politics. The geographic and partisan breadth of the slate marks a departure from the prior pattern of three Black governors, all Democrats and all men.
Black nominees typically do not focus on the historical significance of their candidacies, the AP noted, instead emphasizing their experience and policy proposals. Moore’s framing — that his status is “not an applause line” — captures the approach several candidates have taken to their campaigns.