Black Americans could elect the nation’s first Black woman governor in November, even as congressional redistricting threatens to strip Black communities of representation and a blistering new civil rights report accuses Congress of surrendering its independence to President Donald Trump.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, in its latest Inside Black Policy: Government Diversity roundup, examines those competing developments, including a 51-page voting record from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights that condemns the 119th Congress for weakening protections affecting millions of Americans.
“The 119th Congress has been the most devastating one we have encountered in The Leadership Conference’s 76-year history,” the coalition declared. “It used its power of the gavel to undermine longstanding civil and human rights laws.”
The assessment, featured in the Joint Center’s roundup, examined 24 House votes and 23 Senate votes between January 2025 and September 2026. Only 158 House members and 44 senators supported the coalition’s positions more than 90% of the time.
The report accuses Congress of abandoning oversight responsibilities, approving immigration measures that threaten due process and allowing the Trump administration to weaken federal agencies responsible for protecting vulnerable Americans.
“From the day its members were sworn in last year, it surrendered its independence,” the coalition wrote, accusing lawmakers of serving under Trump’s control.
Among its sharpest criticisms was the 2025 budget reconciliation law, which the coalition said reduced Medicaid and food assistance while providing nearly $5 trillion in tax cuts disproportionately benefiting wealthy Americans. The legislation also allocated $170 billion for immigration enforcement.
The report condemned Congress for failing to address rising living costs, declaring, “It did nothing to help make necessities like food, fuel, or health care more affordable.”
The coalition also criticized the Senate’s confirmation of Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
Its examination of voting restrictions was equally severe. The report opposed legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship and nationwide voter identification, arguing that eligible voters unable to afford the necessary documents could effectively face an unconstitutional poll tax.
The coalition further condemned Congress for overturning federal restrictions on bank overdraft fees, saying the charges disproportionately burden low-income consumers and people of color.
The Leadership Conference’s ratings measure agreement with its legislative priorities, not lawmakers’ entire civil rights records, and do not constitute political endorsements.
The Joint Center’s roundup also cites research published by Good Authority examining a record eight Black major-party gubernatorial candidates, five Democrats and three Republicans, competing in November.
Republican Lisa Demuth in Minnesota and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia could become the first Black woman governor in American history. Only six Black Americans have served as governors during the nation’s 250 years, all men.
Another report featured by the Joint Center examines warnings from six Black members of Congress that Supreme Court redistricting decisions could reduce Black representation in the House by nearly one-third.
Those lawmakers include Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Shomari Figures, Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Troy Carter (D-La.), whose districts and political influence could be affected by changing congressional boundaries.
“If the courts and our state legislature won’t protect the rights of Black and minority voters, then we must organize, mobilize, and vote like our lives depend on it,” Sewell wrote in a May 2026 statement. “We must reaffirm, through action, that every American deserves a voice in our democracy.”
In Florida, the Joint Center points to the Democratic primary in the historically Black 20th Congressional District, where Debbie Wasserman Schultz defeated several Black candidates despite an effort by Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor to consolidate support behind one contender.
The developments leave Black political representation facing sharply different possibilities as voters prepare for November.
The Leadership Conference, whose report details what it considers extraordinary congressional failures, warned that repairing the damage could take years.
“We refused to be silent in the face of threats, and we will not back down now,” the coalition exclaimed.
