Black women have spent a decade being thanked for turning out, and thanks has not arrived as policy or as money. In the midterm elections held November 3, 2026, more than 93 percent of Black women voters backed Democrats, according to voter polling, up from 92 percent in the previous cycle. Seventy-two Black women were on the ballot.
The clearest result was in Georgia, where Keisha Lance Bottoms, the 56-year-old former Atlanta mayor, became the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state. Her win ended 24 years of Republican control of the state’s highest office, and the Republican businessman she beat, Rick Jackson, spent more than $200 million of his own money against her.
Danielle Atkinson, founder and executive director of Mothering Justice, put the demand plainly. “Black women showed up in this election, as we always do,” she said, “to help shape the future of our communities and the future of our democracy.” She added, “Now is the time for our government to listen to us.”
The celebration online carried the same edge. The writer P.H. Nix noted that even when Black women are not protected, “We still show up and show out.” Another commenter wrote that recognition without investment isn’t enough. Jennifer Taylor Skinner asked, “All the people who were mad at Black women for resting, do you have anything you want to say to us?”
Gains also showed up among Black women voters aged 18 to 29, according to Tufts University research.
