Voters elected five Black governors on November 3, setting a national record and ending Wes Moore‘s run as the only Black governor in the United States.

When the new class takes office in January, five Black governors will serve at the same time for the first time in American history. Before Tuesday, no two Black governors had ever served together.

“This is exciting, because up until this moment, I was the only Black governor in America,” Moore told CBS News on election night. “And I was very clear that that’s a title that I did not want to hold onto for very long.”

The Class of 2026

Moore, a Democrat, won a second term in Maryland. He became the state’s first Black governor in 2022.

In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, defeated Republican Rick Jackson. She becomes the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and the first woman to serve as Georgia’s governor.

In Florida, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly to become the state’s first Black governor. He is also the nation’s first Black Republican elected governor.

In Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, defeated Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany to become the state’s first Black governor.

In Nevada, Attorney General Aaron Ford unseated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. The Associated Press called the race at 4:46 a.m. ET on Wednesday, with Ford ahead 51.5% to 44.3% at 85% of the vote counted, according to the Washington Examiner. Ford becomes Nevada’s first Black governor.

The historic night reached beyond the 50 states. Delegate Stacey Plaskett won the governorship of the U.S. Virgin Islands with 62.8% of the vote, becoming the territory’s first woman governor.

A Short List Gets Longer

Until this week, only three Black Americans had ever been elected governor: L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and Moore. The total is now at seven.

Two other Black men served without winning election: P.B.S. Pinchback, who briefly led Louisiana in 1872 and 1873, and David Paterson, who took over in New York after Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008.

“I’m only the third African American ever elected governor in the 250-year history of this country, and, now, in one cycle, we have at least doubled that number,” Moore told CBS News.

The class also crosses party lines. Donalds, a Trump-endorsed Republican, joins four Democrats. On election night, Bottoms said, “No matter who you voted for tonight, I will be a governor for all of Georgia,” while Donalds said, “Even if you didn’t vote for me, you have my word that I will be your governor, too.”

For now, the governors-elect turn to transition planning ahead of their January inaugurations, when Moore will finally have company.