There are currently no Black governors serving in the United States as of early 2026.

Quick context

Historically, only a very small number of Black Americans have ever served as state governors, starting with Reconstruction-era figures like P. B. S. Pinchback in Louisiana and, much later, L. Douglas Wilder in Virginia and Deval Patrick in Massachusetts. More recently, Wes Moore’s 2022 election in Maryland made him one of only a handful of Black people to ever hold a governorship, underscoring how rare Black governors have been relative to the overall U.S. Black population.

As of the current lineup of 50 state governors for 2026, none of the sitting governors are Black, even though there are ongoing and recent campaigns by Black candidates in several states and a generally increasing presence of Black elected officials at other levels (mayors, members of Congress, and lieutenant governors).

In other words, the answer to “how many Black governors in the United States right now?” is: zero at the moment , despite a slowly growing historical list and new candidacies that could change that in future election cycles.

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