Overview:
A look at key election races that matter most to Haitian Americans, including some gubernatorial contests and Senate races. This final part examines key 2026 midterm races in Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina, focusing on immigration policy, Haitian TPS, political representation and issues affecting Haitian communities.
Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of a two-part series on key election races that matter most to Haitian Americans, including some gubernatorial contests and Senate races. Read part one here.
GEORGIA
Georgia has become a battleground state over the last five years, according to the Associated Press.
According to the AP, Trump carried the state by five points in 2016 but narrowly lost it in 2020. In 2024, Trump won the state back by 2.2 percentage points. While Democrats have succeeded in U.S. Senate races, Republicans still hold all major statewide offices.
About 20,000 Haitians call this swing state home and may impact these critical races.
Georgia Governor: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms vs. Republican Rick Jackson
Gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson, a billionaire, is taking on former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Jackson, 72, a healthcare magnate and investor, is challenging 56-year-old Lance Bottoms in a high-profile race that pits his business background and personal wealth against her political experience and record in public office. The contest could test voters’ priorities on leadership, economic opportunity, and Georgia’s future.
Backed by President Donald Trump and outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, Jackson has reportedly poured nearly $200 million of his personal fortune into his campaign. Lance Bottoms, meanwhile, has secured support from prominent Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well as organized labor, and is seeking to capitalize on strong Democratic enthusiasm and concerns about the cost of living and Jackson’s alignment with Trump.
The race remains highly competitive: an Atlanta Journal-Constitution/University of Georgia poll conducted Oct. 7-15 found Jackson leading Bottoms 46% to 45%, with 8% undecided and a 3.1-percentage-point margin of error.
U.S. Senate: Democrat Jon Ossoff vs. Republican Mike Collins
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s slickly produced campaign videos have gone viral, sparking buzz that he may be seeking the presidency in 2028. He has used Trump’s baseless complaints of election fraud in Georgia as a foil, calling the president the “world’s most famous sore loser.”
Ossoff faces Republican Mike Collins, whom Trump has been campaigning to keep in office to keep Georgia red.
OHIO
Springfield, Ohio, has been in the national spotlight since right-wing Republicans spread lies about its Haitian residents during the 2024 presidential elections. It is now a target for mass deportation, with many of its Haitian residents — estimated at at least 10,000, mostly newcomers— being subject to ICE raids and ankle monitors.
Ohio Governor: Democrat Amy Acton vs. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy
Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has been considered a Haitian ally who stood with the community in Springfield. DeWine has continued to stand with Haitians, saying they are critical to the state’s economy and calling on the administration to maintain TPS. He also attended the funeral of Pierre Damas Bel, the 20-year-old who died by suicide after ICE fitted him with an ankle monitor.
Therefore, who replaces him may very well decide how protected or not Haitians in Ohio may be after this midterm.
Running for his seat now are Democrat Amy Acton, a doctor who ran the state’s health department, and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech billionaire aligned with President Trump.
The contest has drawn national attention and ire after Ramaswamy began running a controversial ad featuring Acton’s long-estranged mother accusing her of being a liar. The mother had lost custody of Acton as a child after Acton’s stepfather was indicted for raping her.
US Senate: Republican Sen. Jon Husted vs. Challenger Democrat Sherrod Brown
Democrat Sherrod Brown is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who replaced JD Vance when he became Trump’s VP.
Brown once held the seat and is fighting to get it back.
Both Trump and former president Barack Obama have been campaigning heavily in the final days until Nov. 3 to deliver a victory for their party.
MASSACHUSETTS
As the main location for the country’s 120,000 Haitians living across New England, the state is notable for electing Haitians or supporting issues that are favorable to local Haitians and Haiti-related legislation.
U.S. Senate: Ed Markey vs. John Deaton
Massachusetts, home to a large Haitian immigrant population concentrated in Greater Boston and surrounding communities, is also electing a U.S. senator.
Democratic incumbent Ed Markey is seeking another six-year term against Republican John Deaton, an attorney who previously ran against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024. Independent Shiva Ayyadurai and Joe Tache, running under the Party for Socialism and Liberation designation, are also on the ballot.
Markey has been among the lawmakers pushing for congressional action to restore protections for Haitian immigrants following the Trump administration’s efforts to end Haiti’s TPS designation.
In June, Markey and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware introduced legislation to designate Haiti for TPS. In July, they sought Senate passage of a House-approved measure addressing the same issue, but the effort was blocked.
The issue carries particular weight in Massachusetts, where Haitian immigrants are part of the workforce in health care, transportation, hospitality and other industries.
While the Massachusetts Senate contest is not necessarily among the nation’s closest races, it matters to Haitian communities because of Markey’s role in the federal debate over immigration protections.
The election also offers an opportunity to examine where the candidates stand on immigration, employment, housing and the federal government’s response to Haiti’s ongoing crisis.
For Haitian American voters in Massachusetts, the outcome will determine who represents the state in the Senate for the next six years as Congress continues to confront questions surrounding immigration policy and U.S.-Haiti relations.
TEXAS
Gubernatorial elections in Texas, New York and Pennsylvania, home to hundreds of thousands of Haitian Americans, will not directly determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. However, they matter for another reason: governors influence state budgets, education, public safety, election administration and state responses to federal policies.
Gubernatorial: Republican incumbent Greg Abbott vs. Democrat Gina Hinojosa
A Democratic win in the Texas governor’s race would mark a major political shift in a state where Republicans have held the governor’s office since 1995. The race is also unfolding alongside the unusually competitive Senate contest.
The latest polling shows Abbott still ahead in many recent surveys, but Hinojosa is competitive enough to warrant attention.
Senate race: Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico
The two contenders are locked in a close contest that has put a Texas Senate seat in play for Democrats. A Talarico win in Texas would be historic— as no Democrat has won a Texas Senate race since 1988.
As of Oct. 29, the race is a toss-up, with Talarico holding a narrow lead over Paxton in the polls. The contest is among the most consequential in the country because a Democratic victory could help flip control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 2021.
NEW YORK
Gubernatorial: Democrat incumbent Kathy Hochul vs Republican Bruce Blakeman
New York is home to large immigrant communities, including families in New York City, Spring Valley and Long Island. The state’s Nov.3 gubernatorial election could shape how state and local agencies interact with federal immigration authorities and how immigrants access public services.
New York is holding an election for governor and lieutenant governor on Nov. 3. The state has no U.S. Senate election this year. The governor’s contest is therefore more relevant to state policy and the broader national political climate than to the Senate’s balance of power.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat seeking another term, faces Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive. The candidates have taken different positions on immigration enforcement, making the race relevant to Haitian immigrants and other communities concerned about deportation and access to services.
Hochul signed state legislation in 2026 restricting local law enforcement agencies from entering formal cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Blakeman opposed the restrictions and has supported cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.
An Oct. 28 Marist Poll found Hochul ahead of Blakeman, 53% to 42% among likely voters, with 4% undecided. The survey was conducted Oct. 22-25 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Pennsylvania: Josh Shapiro vs. Stacy Garrity
Pennsylvania is a major presidential battleground, and its governor’s race provides a measure of how voters are evaluating the state’s Democratic leadership and the Republican opposition. However, the state has no U.S. Senate election in 2026.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Oct. 7 found Shapiro leading Garrity 59% to 34% among likely voters, with 2% supporting Libertarian candidate Ken Krawchuk and 5% undecided.
MICHIGAN
Michigan gubernatorial race: Republican U.S. Rep. John James vs. Democrat Jocelyn Benson
Economic concerns are prominent in Michigan. A Michigan State University political science survey released Oct. 29 found that affordability was voters’ top priority in choosing a governor. Nearly half of likely voters surveyed said they were worse off financially than a year earlier.
The governor’s race is unfolding in a politically competitive state where national politics could influence turnout. MSU’s Oct. 26 poll found Benson widening her lead to double digits ahead of James, while the Oct. 29 survey linked Democratic support in statewide races partly to dissatisfaction with Trump’s performance.
Senate race: Republican incumbent Mike Rogers vs. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed
Michigan’s gubernatorial contest is happening alongside a closely contested U.S. Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
In the Oct. 26 MSU poll, El-Sayed led Rogers by just 2.5 percentage points. It is a much tighter race than the gubernatorial race.
The Senate contest has also been complicated by divisions among Democrats following the primary. The Associated Press reported on Oct. 29 that some Democratic voters remain concerned about El-Sayed’s statements and positions on Israel, while Republicans face their own challenges tied to Trump and economic dissatisfaction.
NORTH CAROLINA
Senate race: Democrat Roy Cooper vs. Republican Michael Whatley
North Carolina, with a burgeoning Haitian immigrant community, is one of the most important states in the fight for control of the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The state has no gubernatorial election this year. Voters, however, will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 U.S. House members, state legislators and several judges, among other offices.
The contest, pitting former Democrat Governor Roy Cooper against Trump favorite Michael Whatley, could directly change the balance of power in Washington. The latest polling shows Cooper’s lead over Whatley has widened to 14 percentage points.
