AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Tuesday's midterm election saw Democrats cement control of both chambers of Congress, flipping Senate seats in Republican strongholds. It was also a night of historic firsts.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Chris Pappas is the first openly gay man in the U.S. Senate. In his victory speech last night, he thanked his husband, Vann Bentley, to massive cheers in the crowd.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CHRIS PAPPAS: All right. The wrong person was on the ballot, apparently.
(LAUGHTER)
PAPPAS: But he's always been by my side. And look, tonight win, lose or draw, I'm the luckiest guy because I'm married to a man that I love.
CHANG: And after a very tightly contested race in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ABDUL EL-SAYED: Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say, inshallah, or God willing, whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned. But today, tonight, we can turn that inshallah into a...
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Alhamdulillah.
EL-SAYED: Alhamdulillah (laughter).
KELLY: At El-Sayed's victory party, Abrar Founas and Aliyah Rab, two hijabi Michiganders, told NPR it had been stressful to watch the campaign play out.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: I think, for us, you know, as outwardly Muslim woman, we face a lot of racism on a daily basis, and to see that happen at a national level is extremely disappointing. But, you know, we're inspired.
KELLY: They were also excited for their children to see that El-Sayed had won.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You know, for our kids to know that they have a place here, too, that they can work hard just like him and that they can achieve this high level.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: And they can believe what they want to believe in.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Absolutely.
CHANG: Several women broke through in governors races across the country, as well. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state.
KELLY: In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms will be the first Black woman governor in the country. Her speech last night referenced a recent trip to Crawfordville, Georgia.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS: I visited the grave of Betsy Peek (ph), my great-great grandmother, who was born in 1845, 20 years before emancipation. In a cemetery filled with unmarked graves, I found hers. I don't know what dreams Betsy Peek had for her children or for her grandchildren or the generations that she would never meet, but I know I am standing on shoulders made of steel.
CHANG: And Gina Hinojosa ousted Greg Abbott in Texas to become the state's first Latina governor. Her campaign slogan comes from words she had heard from her grandmother growing up.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GINA HINOJOSA: No te dejes.
(CHEERING)
HINOJOSA: Know your worth and fight to defend it. A lot of Latinas in Texas grew up hearing those same words from their own mothers, their own abuelas. This year, we live them, and we change this state, and this win belongs to you and to them.
(CHEERING)
CHANG: In New York, Kathy Hochul and Adrienne Adams, together, made the state's first all-women gubernatorial ticket.
KELLY: And the list goes on. Florida, Wisconsin, Nevada - they each elected their first Black governors.
CHANG: And California elected its first Latino governor in Xavier Becerra.
KELLY: And let's not forget the six transgender and nonbinary candidates who won state legislature races where no trans or nonbinary person has before. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.