When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was recently elected chair of the National Governors Association, he made history as the first African American to lead the bipartisan organization representing the nation’s governors. It was a milestone worth celebrating, not only because it broke another barrier, but because it reminded us how rare Black governors have been in American history.
Too often, when America elects an African American governor, that leader serves alone. When Virginians elected Douglas Wilder in 1989, he became the first African American ever elected governor in the United States. It was a watershed moment that many hoped would usher in a new era of Black executive leadership. Instead, Wilder remained an exception for years.
More than a decade later, Massachusetts elected Deval Patrick, making him only the second African American elected governor since Reconstruction. Once again, history was made, but once again, he largely stood alone. Today, Wes Moore is only the third African American since Reconstruction ever elected governor, and now the first to chair the National Governors Association. Currently, Moore is America’s only Black governor. His achievement is extraordinary, but it also underscores the uncomfortable truth that for Black folks there can only be one historic “first” at a time.
That isolation matters. Governors are among the most powerful elected officials in America. They shape education policy, oversee criminal justice systems, expand or restrict access to healthcare, drive economic development, appoint judges, administer elections, and sign or veto legislation that directly affects millions of lives. For African American communities, gubernatorial leadership can influence everything from maternal health and voting access to public school funding, environmental justice, housing and entrepreneurship.
One Black governor can make a difference. But several Black governors working together can lead the national conversation on many critical issues impacting African Americans.
We came remarkably close to that reality in 2018. Andrew Gillum in Florida, Ben Jealous in Maryland and Stacey Abrams in Georgia inspired millions of voters and built historic coalitions. Their campaigns energized new voters and demonstrated that Black candidates could compete successfully for the highest office in their states. But each fell just short on Election Day.
Their defeats meant that another opportunity to build a meaningful cohort of African American governors slipped away. This election offers another chance.
Democrats have the opportunity to reelect Moore in Maryland while electing Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, David Crowley in Wisconsin, Stacy Plaskett in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina and Aaron Ford in Nevada.
Republican Rep. Byron Donalds is also well positioned to become Florida’s first Black governor. In Minnesota, Republican Lisa Demuth is her party’s nominee for governor, as is Republican John James in Michigan.
Together, those victories would represent more than individual political successes. They would create something America has never experienced with multiple Black governors serving simultaneously, sharing ideas, influencing one another through the National Governors Association and shaping state and national policy at the highest levels. A Lance Bottoms, Demuth or Plaskett victory would represent the first time the organization has had a Black woman in membership given that no Black woman has ever been elected governor in the United States. And a victory for Donalds, Demuth or James would represent the first time the organization had the viewpoint of a Black conservative.
Having multiple African American governors at that table would strengthen the voices of communities that have too often been underrepresented in executive leadership.
For the first time, a group of Black governors could collaborate, exchange policy innovations, influence federal priorities and respond together to national crises.
Every generation has inherited the responsibility to protect and expand American democracy, and oftentimes it is Black leadership at the forefront.
Douglas Wilder opened the door. Deval Patrick proved the first Black governor was not the last. Wes Moore is demonstrating what Black executive leadership can achieve on the national stage even as Black excellence is under attack as DEI.
And 2026 provides another opportunity to move beyond celebrating one history-making governor at a time by electing a generation of Black leaders whose collective influence can shape public policy for decades to come.
Kevin Harris is a Democratic strategist who has advised more than 100 campaigns and ballot measures, including the past five presidential elections. He served in the Obama administration, as a Cabinet member for two big-city mayors and as executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
