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Voters send history-making candidates to Congress

Congress will welcome a slate of history-making lawmakers in January, as members of both parties notched firsts in both the House and Senate. Several candidates are prepared to become the first women to represent their states in Washington, D.C., while others will become the first of their heritage. 2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON […]

Congress will welcome a slate of history-making lawmakers in January, as members of both parties notched firsts in both the House and Senate.

Several candidates are prepared to become the first women to represent their states in Washington, D.C., while others will become the first of their heritage.

2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE


Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester speaks during the reopening of the St. George’s Bridge in New Castle County, Delaware, Oct. 11, 2024. (Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware Senate race

With her win over Republican Eric Hansen, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) will become the first black woman to serve as senator of Delaware. 

Blunt Rochester will succeed longtime Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), who opted not to seek reelection in 2024 and endorsed her almost immediately. Blunt Rochester once served as his intern.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks at the Democratic National Convention, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland Senate race

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks defeated former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday night, becoming the first black woman to represent Maryland.

Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester will be the fourth and fifth black women to ever serve in the upper chamber, following behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the late Democratic Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, and Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA). 

Their wins also mark the first time in history that two black women have served at the same time.

Democratic state Sen. Sarah McBride speaks during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 28, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sarah McBride, Delaware’s at-large congressional district

Democratic state Sen. Sarah McBride will be the first transgender person to serve in Congress. 

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McBride told CBS News that the monumental turning point in history is “a testament to Delawarians that the candidacy of someone like me is even possible.” However, McBride said becoming the first transgender member of Congress is not the goal. Rather, boosting affordable child care, reproductive freedom, and affordable housing — typical stances for Democrats in the 2024 cycle.

McBride will fill Blunt Rochester’s vacant House seat.

Texas Rep.-elect Julie Johnson speaks to supporters at the LBGTQ Day of Action, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Dallas. (Michael Ainsworth/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign)

Julie Johnson, Texas’s 32nd Congressional District 

Rep.-elect Julie Johnson won her race to succeed Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) in Texas’s 32nd Congressional District, paving the way for her to become the first openly gay representative in Texas’s delegation and the first openly gay representative from the South.

“Don’t hold yourself back,” Johnson wrote in a post on X. “Don’t make assumptions that you can or can’t do something. Don’t be your own barrier to achieving your dreams. Push forward, work hard, and you never know, you just might win.”

Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) speaks to delegates in Paramus, New Jersey, March 4, 2024. New Jersey Democrats and Republicans will decide their parties’ standard-bearers for the Senate amid the federal corruption trial in New York of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, along with candidates for the presidency and House. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Andy Kim, New Jersey Senate race

Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) will be the first Korean American to serve in the Senate with his win over GOP candidate Curtis Bashaw. Kim, the son of immigrants, is 42 years old and will be the upper chamber’s third-youngest member in 2025.

Kim will take the seat formerly held by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who resigned after he was convicted of taking bribes and acting as a foreign agent. He defeated New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, bringing an end to both parties’ long-standing political machine power in the state.

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Businessman Bernie Moreno points as he takes the stage during the second day of the Republican National Convention, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Bernie Moreno, Ohio Senate race

Businessman Bernie Moreno defeated longtime incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in Ohio’s competitive Senate race, becoming the first Hispanic statewide official for the Buckeye State. 

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He will also be the first South American-born senator.

Moreno’s win was one of a few upsets on election night, with polling showing him in a dead heat or trailing Brown. It was one of the most expensive Senate races this cycle, with $400 million pumped into the contest.

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