6 min read
The Divine Nine did not just watch the 2026 elections. In state after state, Black fraternities and sororities helped power them.
Brothers and sisters raised money, knocked on doors and turned out voters for candidates who share their letters.
The clearest example sits in Maryland, where a fraternity network helped carry a challenger into the state Senate.
Major Takeaways
Delegate Malcolm Ruff credits his Phi Beta Sigma brothers for his Maryland Senate win and says about ten percent of his donations came from Divine Nine members.
Five of the six most populous jurisdictions in Maryland now have Black executives, and many of the winners carry Greek letters.
Five Black governors will serve at the same time for the first time in American history, including Delta Sigma Theta member Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia.
The nine organizations remain one of the most durable pipelines of Black political talent, money and organization in the country.
A Fraternity Brotherhood Built the Campaign
Ruff knew he faced a fight when he challenged State Senator Dalya Attar in the Democratic primary.
He leaned on his special network, and that network delivered.
Ruff now heads to Annapolis as the first member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. to serve in the Maryland Senate.
He said his fraternity brothers stood at his back through the entire campaign.
Their serious organizing, he said, advanced efforts to reach voters simply because of their loyalty to the fraternity.
About ten percent of his donations came from fellow fraternity and sorority members.
That boost helped him recover from the inexperience of running a first campaign at that level.
Ruff joined the fraternity 23 years ago, and he said he always knew moments like this would come.
“I always knew it would be a source of strength and a network that would always be there for me,” he said.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore with First Lady Dawn Moore. Photo by Danielle G. Campbell via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 4.0.
Maryland Shows the Depth of the Bench
Maryland produced historic results for Black candidates in 2026, and Greek letters run through the winner list.
Five of the six most populous jurisdictions in the state now have Black executives.
In Howard County, Vanessa Atterbeary will become the first Black woman to lead the county.
Incoming Montgomery County Executive Will Jawando is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and he won about 78 percent of the vote.
Governor Wes Moore, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, won a second term on Tuesday night.
Ryan Turner, just elected to the Maryland House of Delegates from Baltimore District 41, received significant support from Divine Nine organizations, including his own Alpha Phi Alpha.
State Senator Antonio Hayes, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., will chair the committee that handles business and health care regulation.
United States Senator Angela Alsobrooks is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
Congressman Kweisi Mfume carries the letters of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
The organizing started long before Election Day.
State Senator Charles Sydnor III hosted a candidate connection event in early October at a yacht club in Sparrows Point.
About 75 people attended, and five Black candidates with Divine Nine ties worked the room.
Sydnor said nearly every Black candidate in Baltimore County this year has a Divine Nine connection somewhere in their circle.
Julian Jones, just elected the first Black county executive of Baltimore County, is not a member himself.
His wife is a Delta, and the couple attended the Sydnor event through her connection.
All three women who ran to become the first Black woman on the Baltimore County Council are Divine Nine members, and Makeda Scott won her District 3 race.
The Delta Sigma Theta monument at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Photo by Clifflandis via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The Governors Make It National
The pattern reaches far beyond Maryland.
Before Tuesday, only three African Americans had ever been elected governor of an American state.
Four more won in a single night.
Five Black governors will now serve at the same time for the first time in history.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, the first Black woman elected governor anywhere in the United States, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta.
Her Georgia victory anchors our Atlanta coverage of a changing South.
David Crowley became the first Black governor of Wisconsin, and Aaron Ford became the first Black governor of Nevada.
Byron Donalds became the first Black Republican elected governor in the nation, winning in Florida.
Moore, who was the third Black governor ever elected, spent recent years as the only one serving.
Now he is one of five, and the Greek network helped build that class.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, governor elect of Georgia and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Photo: Executive Office of the President, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Why the Letters Carry Weight
Black candidates have often lacked access to the political, financial and professional networks that white counterparts take for granted.
The Divine Nine spent generations building those networks anyway.
“The Divine Nine may not completely level the playing field, but these organizations have spent generations making sure Black people have access to spaces, relationships, and opportunities from which they were historically excluded,” said Nykidra Robinson, founder of Black Girls Vote and a member of Delta Sigma Theta.
The nine organizations are the historically Black fraternities and sororities recognized by the National Pan Hellenic Council.
Their members pledge for life, and that lifetime bond becomes a campaign asset no consultant can buy.
Not every winner needed the letters.
State Senator Carl Jackson, who is not a member, won his race and said the outcome comes down to the candidate and the ability to raise funds.
Even Jackson reached out to the Baltimore County chapter of Delta Sigma Theta for a partnership, citing its community advocacy.
That is the point. Member or not, serious Black candidates now treat the Divine Nine as essential political ground.
Follow the full run of Black political coverage at Urban City Podcast as this new class prepares to govern.
