It was not just a blue wave at the ballot box, but a rainbow wave that voters chose on Tuesday. Here's a look at all of the out queer winners decided in the 2026 midterm election.

Chris Pappas (D) - U.S. Senate - New Hampshire Senator-elect Chris Pappas (D-NH) spoke at the 2026 Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner in Concord, New Hampshire, on October 3, 2026. Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images Chris Pappas is the first out gay man elected to the U.S. Senate. New Hampshire voters overwhelmingly chose the Democrat congressman over Republican former Sen. John Sununu. With votes still being counted, Pappas led Sununu 60 percent to 37 percent at press time.

Sarah McBride (D) - U.S. House - Delaware Sarah McBride, the first out trans member of Congress Courtesy McBride for Delaware Delaware voters sent trailblazing transgender Congresswoman Sarah McBride back to the U.S. Congress Tuesday. The nation's first out transgender federal lawmaker handily won reelection as the lone member of Congress from the First State. During her first term, House Republicans targeted the Democrat's access to women's bathrooms in the Capitol before she could cast her first vote. McBride handily defeated Republican Joseph Arminio.

JD Ford (D) - U.S. House - Indiana Longshot JD Ford elected first out gay member of Congress from Indiana, unseating GOP incumbent J.D. Ford for Congress JD Ford has made LGBTQ+ history in Indiana with a remarkable upset in the conservative state.

The Democrat bested incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz to triumph in the state’s 5th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ data, where Ford led the race at 9:36 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

With more than 95 percent of votes counted, Ford led Spartz 51 percent to 48 percent.

Ford’s victory is remarkable, as a Democrat hasn’t held this seat since 1990. Spartz was first elected in 2020 and was running for her fourth consecutive term.

Ford, who is gay, is now the first out member of Congress from Indiana. The state senator had broken barriers before. In 2020, he unseated a 13-year incumbent who campaigned against same-sex marriage and became the first out member of the Indiana General Assembly.

Bentley Hudgins (D) - Georgia Assembly Nonbinary Georgia Democrat Bentley Hudgins set to make history: ‘Hope is a discipline’ Anna Girzone Bentley Hudgins won a seat in the Georgia Assembly as the the state's first out transgender and nonbinary state lawmaker. The longtime Democratic organizer made history in the Deep South by defeating Republican Samantha Boston in House District 90.

Sharice Davids (D) - U.S. House - Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., walks down the House steps after the final votes of the week in the U.S. Capitol. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas won reelection to Congress, preserving her historic representation of the Sunflower State. The lesbian Democrat and Ho-Chunk Nation citizen defeated Republican Eric Jenkins, securing a fifth term in Congress after a campaign that highlighted competing visions for LGBTQ+ rights.

Davids is one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. House and was the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Kansas.

Ritchie Torres (D) - U.S. House - New York U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres speaking at a press conference, New York, NY lev radin/Shutterstock Rep. Ritchie Torres, the first out gay Afro-Latino member of Congress, won a fourth term representing New York’s 15th Congressional District Tuesday. Voters chose to send the Bronx Democrat back to Washington instead of Republican Stylo Sapaskis and Independents Andre Easton and Jose Vega. When first elected in 2020, Torres joined Democrat Mondaire Jones as the first openly gay Black men elected to the House of Representatives.

Malcolm Kenyatta (D) - Pennsylvania House DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta (D-PA) at a SiriusXM Town Hall on May 08, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta won reelection to represent Pennsylvania’s 181st District in the House of Representatives, securing a fifth term.

The out gay politician made history in 2018 when he became the first out gay Black person elected to the state legislature and the second out member overall. He has been married to his husband, Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta, since 2022.

Jeremy Moss - U.S. House - Michigan Jeremy Moss was elected to be Michigan’s first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress. He wants Democrats to fight harder. Courtesy Jeremy Moss Michigan voters have elected Jeremy Moss to the U.S. House of Representatives, sending the state’s first out LGBTQ+ member to Congress after a legislative career that helped secure explicit civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Michiganders.

The Democratic state senator defeated Republican Ethan Baker in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ, which called the race at 8 p.m. Eastern time as polls closed on Tuesday night, based on projections before the vote had been tallied.

Moss will succeed Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, who left the Oakland County seat to run unsuccessfully for her party’s U.S. Senate nomination.

DeShanna Neal (D) - Delaware House DeShanna Neal is Delaware’s first-ever nonbinary elected official. Delaware House Democrats Nonbinary Delaware state representative DeShanna Neal secured their seat for District 13 after running unopposed.

Neal was first elected to the Delaware Statehouse in 2022, making them the state’s first-ever nonbinary elected official, and won reelection in 2024. Decision Desk HQ called their 2026 midterm win at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. They ran on a progressive platform focused on accessibility, housing rights, education and other issues, earning endorsements from LGBTQ+ groups. Mark Pocan (D) - U.S. House - Wisconsin Mark Pocan is one of the longest-serving living LGBTQ+ people in Congress. Rep. Mark Pocan Rep. Mark Pocan, one of the longest-serving out LGBTQ+ members of the U.S. House of Representatives, will extend his service.

The Democratic U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 2nd congressional district had run unopposed for an eighth term. He won reelection on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, which was able to call the race early in the night due to his lack of an opponent. In the 2022 and 2024 elections, Pocan had defeated Republican challenger Erik Olsen by over 40 percentage points. Zooey Zephyr (D) - Montana House Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr attends a gathering of Park County Democrats in Livingston, Montana, on October 23, 2025.

William Campbell/Getty Images Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the transgender Democrat who became a national figure after Republican lawmakers barred her from the House floor in 2023, has secured another term representing the Missoula area.

Zephyr ran unopposed in Montana’s 95th House District, according to Decision Desk HQ, which called her reelection at 10 p.m. Eastern time.

The result extends the political career of Montana’s first out trans state legislator, who has emerged as one of the country’s most recognizable advocates for transgender rights.

In December 2024, Zephyr wed out trans journalist Erin Reed. The couple met protesting Texas investigations into the parents of transgender youth. JoAnna Mendoza (D) - U.S. House - Arizona JoAnna Mendoza JoAnna Mendoza campaign Democratic congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza, an openly LGBTQ+ Marine veteran who served during the military’s discriminatory "don’t ask, don’t tell” era, has defeated Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, flipping a closely watched House seat. Decision Desk HQ confirmed Mendoza’s victory, calling the race at 10:12 p.m.

Eastern time on Tuesday night. The result delivers a significant victory for Democrats in southern Arizona and sends a former Marine Corps drill instructor to Congress after a campaign shaped by her military service, working-class background, and commitment to LGBTQ+ equality.

Maura Healey (D) - Governor - Massachusetts Massachusetts lesbian Gov. Maura Healey signs abortion and gender-affirming care shield law Courtesy Maura Healey via Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey defeated Republican Mike Minogue to win a second term, extending the tenure of one of the nation’s first out lesbian governors.

Decision Desk HQ called the election at 10:13 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday night. With 24 percent of the vote counted, Healey had 63 percent compared with Minogue’s 33 percent. Independent candidate Andrea James had received under four percent of the vote.

Healey, a Democrat, became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to statewide office in Massachusetts in 2014, when she won the attorney general race. During her eight-year tenure, she advocated for gun control, sought to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic, and challenged President Donald Trump’s 2017 travel restrictions targeting several Muslim-majority countries, widely known as the “Muslim ban.”

Eric Sorensen (D) - U.S. House - Illinois Eric Sorensen Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Rep. Eric Sorensen, a former TV meteorologist and the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Illinois, has won a third term representing the state’s 17th Congressional District.

In Tuesday’s election, he faced GOP small business owner Dillan Vancil. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Sorensen with 59 percent to 40 percent. The Democratic congressman won at 9:46 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, with 24 percent of votes counted.

Sorensen was first elected in the 2022 midterm cycle after former Rep. Cheri Bustos retired from the seat she had held since 2013, narrowly defeating Republican opponent Esther Joy King 52 percent to 48 percent. In 2024, he fended off a challenge from Republican Joseph McGraw with a slightly larger margin to secure a second term. Claire Snyder-Hall (D) - Delaware House Claire Snyder-Hall wins reelection in Delaware. Claire for Delaware Delaware state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall has won a second term representing the coastal communities around Rehoboth Beach, returning an out lesbian and longtime democracy advocate to a legislature grappling with questions about civil rights, affordability, and the reach of the Trump administration.

The Democrat defeated Republican Mike Simpler in a rematch of their 2024 contest. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 9:25 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday night.

Snyder-Hall’s victory was another win for LGBTQ+ representation in Delaware, where U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride also secured reelection. McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress in 2024. Emily Randall (D) — U.S. House — Washington Rep. Emily Randall speaks during a Congressional Hispanic Caucus news conference on Capitol Hill on June 5, 2025. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Rep. Emily Randall, the first LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress, won reelection in Washington State.

The queer Democrat defeated Republican Teresa Fox, and secured a second term representing Washington’s 6th Congressional District after her historic election in 2024. Randall vowed to continue advocating for healthcare access, reproductive rights, and economic opportunity.

Tina Kotek (D) — Governor — Oregon Tina Kotek Tina Kotek, Oregon’s first lesbian governor, won reelection Tuesday. Kotek is a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedom. The Democrat defeated Republican nominee Christine Drazan in a rematch of the candidates who first faced each other in 2022. With 51 percent of the estimated vote counted, Kotek had 54 percent, compared with Drazan’s 43 percent. Pacific Green Party candidate Brett Smith received under three percent.

Robert Garcia (D) — U.S. House — California Rep. Robert Garcia is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and held a news conference on Monday, October. 19, 2026. Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Powerful gay House Democrat Robert Garcia won reelection to Congress Tuesday. The representative from California's 42nd Congressional district delivered a two-word warning: "Lawyer up." Garcia, who defeated Republican Brian Burley with 62 percent of the vote, will be the new chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee.

Mark Takano (D) — U.S. House — California US Representative Mark Takano, a Democrat from California, has vowed to support LGBTQ+ veterans after the Trump administration ended a specialized care program for them. Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images Rep, Mark Takano, the Congressional Equality Caucus chair, won reelection Tuesday. The California congressman has been a staunch defender of transgender service members and an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality amid the challenges of a second Trump administration.

Takano, who was elected to the House in 2012 as the first out gay person of color, handily secured an eighth term by defeating Republican Steve Manos in California’s 39th Congressional District.

Marni von Wilpert (D) — U.S. House — California LGBTQ+ congressional candidate Marni von Wilpert made history in California. Daniel Knighton/Getty Images Out bisexual Democrat Marni von Wilpert flipped her California House seat, and vowed to bring her personal health care fight to Congress The bi San Diego City Council member defeated Republican Jim Desmond in California’s 48th Congressional District 59 to 41 percent as of press time.

Ann Johnson (D) — Texas House Ann Johnson has served three terms in a district that includes Houston’s historically LGBTQ+ Montrose neighborhood. Ann Johnson Lesbian Texas lawmaker Ann Johnson won reelection Tuesday amid attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. The Houston Democrat defeated Republican Mike Michna, securing a fourth term in a state where lawmakers have repeatedly targeted LGBTQ+ rights. Johnson represents Houston’s 134th House District and defeated Michna 68.87 percent to 31.13 percent.

Becca Balint Rep. Balint, who has co-chaired the Congressional Equality Caucus since 2023, will now serve a third term in Congress. Elena Bohm/U.S. House of Representatives Becca Balint, co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, won reelection in Vermont Tuesday. The first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person to represent Vermont in Congress defeated Republican opponent Gerald Malloy to earn her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Allison Montgomery (D) — Alabama House Allison Montgomery wins race to become Alabama’s first transgender state lawmaker Instagram/Allison Montgomery In a historic win, Democrat Allison Montgomery unseated Republican incumbent State Rep. Phillip Rigsby for a seat representing Alabama’s House District 25 on Tuesday, becoming the state’s first transgender legislator.

According to the Associated Press, which called the race, Montgomery led Rigsby 53 to 47 percent with more than 95 percent of the vote counted. Montgomery is one of three Northern Alabama Democrats who flipped seats in Tuesday night’s blue wave, according to AL.com.