Democrats flip governorships in Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Ohio

AUSTIN, Texas — Democrats won governor’s races in several Republican-led states on Tuesday, including Texas, where Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott.

In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated billionaire Rick Jackson, who spent more than $200 million of his own money on the race. Rob Sand won in Iowa over Republican Zach Lahn, and Amy Acton won the open race for governor of Ohio.

The results give Democrats a majority of the nation’s governorships for the first time in 16 years, with at least 27 Democratic governors set to serve in 2027. Republicans held 26 of the 50 governor’s offices before the election.

Republicans held on in Florida, where U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds defeated David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who ran as a Democrat. A few governor’s races were still being counted on Wednesday.