November 2006

Deval Patrick was elected Governor of Massachusetts, becoming the second Black governor elected in the history of the United States and the first in Massachusetts. His grassroots campaign strategy would later directly influence Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Deval Patrick was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2006, becoming only the second Black governor elected in American history (after Douglas Wilder of Virginia in 1989). His grassroots campaign and governing style directly inspired Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign strategy, and his tenure demonstrated that a Black politician could win statewide in a predominantly white Northern state.

Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, becoming the first Black Republican to win statewide office in Maryland history when he was elected Lt. Governor in 2003, later becoming the first Black chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009.