Boston mayoral candidate Michelle Wu wearing a navy blue jacket with teal trim surrounded by supporters
Boston mayoral elect Michelle Wu
Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald

From New York City to Cincinnati, candidates of color made history in elections across the country Tuesday night.

While some of the race results are still pending, the certified wins follow a growing trend of more people of color running for office than ever before.

  • Related Article Module: More people of color and women are jumping into politics. How protests inspired activists to run for office
  • Several of these candidates previously told Insider they were motivated to run campaigns based on racial justice, education, and housing – issues that resonated with voters who cast their ballots through early voting and at the polls on Tuesday.

While the notable wins represent the growing presence of people of color in politics across party lines, in some states, including Virginia, they specifically signal growth among conservatives.

Here's a look at some of those history-makers on both ends of the aisle.

Jason Miyares, Virginia Attorney General

Jason Miyares, the son of a Cuban refugee, is Virginia's first Latino Attorney General-elect.

He referenced his mother, who he said came to the US from Cuba 56 years ago with "nothing but a dream, a dream for a better life for her family," in his victory speech, per NBC News.

Miyares, a Republican and former criminal prosecutor, ran on issues like "stopping the far-left wing in Richmond," according to his website. He also listed "restore law and order" and "stand with police" as his priorities.

Miyares, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2016, voted against legislation to raise the minimum wage in Virginia and to authorize local governments to remove Confederate statues on public property last year, according to The Washington Post.

Miyares' election marks a sharp departure from his predecessor Attorney General Mark Herring's more progressive legacy, reports The Post.

Herring's record includes winning the nation's first injunction against Trump's travel ban and supporting in-state tuition for Dreamers.

Winsome Sears, Virginia Lieutenant Governor

Winsome Sears will be the first woman and first woman of color to serve as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor.

She was previously a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-2004. She was the first Jamaican female Republican, first female veteran, and the first naturalized citizen to serve in the role.

Born in Jamaica, Sears emigrated to the US when she was six years old. After growing up in the Bronx borough of New York City, she worked as an electrician in the United States Marines.

"What you are looking at is the American dream," Sears said Tuesday evening, per WAMU. "I didn't run to make history. I ran to leave it better than I found it."

"Help is on the way," she added.

Sears' ideological opponents have criticized the Lieutenant Governor-elect for embracing a "right wing tendency."

They cite her refusal to say whether she has received a vaccine and her support for Texas' abortion ban at six weeks as evidence of this tendency, per The Washington Post.

Sears' support for voter ID requirements in Virginia elections, which her detractors view as her giving credence to the Big Lie, as well as her continued support for former President Donald Trump, have also been sources of controversy.

In March, Sears posted a video to Facebook with the caption, "As former national chair for Black Americans to re-elect Trump, I want everyone to know President Trump is not racist."

Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati

Aftab Pureval, who currently serves at the Hamilton County Clerk of Clerks, officially became the first Asian American mayor of Cincinnati Tuesday.

The 39-year-old has spoken about the profound effect his parents, who were both immigrants, have had on him. Pureval's father was from India, while his mother was a refugee from Tibet.

"I'm so humbled to lead the city of Cincinnati into the next decade and the historic nature of the victory," Pureval told Insider. "Cincinnati is around 60% white and around 40% Black. That AAPI population is less than 3% and despite that, we got elected."

"That shows me AAPIs can run and get elected anywhere in the country, in any office," Pureval added. "And that Cincinnati is a place you can come and achieve your dreams, because that's exactly what we did last night."

Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston

All eyes were on Boston's mayor race, which boasted the most diverse survey of candidates in its history.

The race became an ever bigger talker on Tuesday, after Michelle Wu defeated Annissa Essaibi George Tuesday, effectively becoming the first woman and first Asian American mayor of Boston.

"We're ready to be a Boston that doesn't push people out, but welcomes all who call our city home," Wu, 36, said during an election night speech to supporters, according to CNBC.

Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, ran on policies designed to combat the racial wealth gap. She also proposed free public transit, race stabilization, and a city "Green New Deal" plan.

Wu previously made history in 2013 as the first Asian American woman elected to Boston's city council.

Ed Gainey, Mayor of Pittsburgh

Ed Gainey is the first Black Mayor of Pittsburg, as of Tuesday night.

This was not Gainey's first run for office. He has served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2013.

Gainey, who himself grew up in the western Pennsylvania city, noted in his victory speech how segregated the city remains, despite the fact that nearly 25% of its population is Black.

"We know how people have talked about Pittsburgh, how siloed it is, how segregated it is," Gainey told supporters on Tuesday, according to the radio station WESA. "But today, you changed that."

Abdullah Hammoud, Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan

Abdullah Hammoud is making history as the first Arab-American and Muslim to be elected as the mayor of Dearborn, MI.

Born in 1990 to Lebanese immigrant parents, Hammoud has been a member of the Michigan House of Representatives since 2017.

Hammoud dedicated his victory speech on Tuesday to any young girls or boys who have been ridiculed for their faith or ethnicity."

"For those of you who were ever made to feel that their names were unwelcome and to our parents and to our elders and to others who are humiliated for their broken English and yet still persist: Today is proof that you are as American as anyone else," Hammoud said, per NPR.

Tyrone Garner, Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas

Tyrone Garner, a former police officer and US Army Veteran, will serve as Kansas City's first Black mayor.

He cited economic development, improving police relations, and reducing taxes as priorities for him during his campaign.

Garner was "the youngest recorded African American promoted to the ranks of Detective, Captain, Major, and Deputy Police Chief of Police within the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department," according to his website.

During his victory speech, Garner told onlookers that he wants to work with the community "to make sure that… the will of the people is being met and that the goods and services are being delivered equitably throughout all of Wyandotte County," The Kansas City Star reported.

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney

A former federal prosecutor, Alvin Bragg was elected New York District Attorney Tuesday, becoming the first Black man to hold the position.

Bragg grew up in Harlem and received his Bachelor's and law degrees from Harvard University.

While campaigning for the office, Bragg discussed the effect three gunpoint stops by the NYPD had on him and how they informed his desire to reform the criminal justice system.

"Those experiences really are why I went to law school and framed my professional experience working at the intersection of public safety and fairness-someone who's done gun-trafficking cases and prosecuted law enforcement," Bragg told The American Prospect earlier this year.

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