Voters send history-making candidates to Congress

Congress will welcome the list legislators making history in January, when members of both parties won top seats in both the House and Senate.

Several candidates are poised to become the first women to represent their states in Washington, DCand others will be the first of their inheritance.

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Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester speaks during the dedication of the St. George Bridge in New Castle County, Delaware, October 11, 2024. (Tiger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)

Lisa Blunt Rochester Delaware Senate Race

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

Blunt Rochester will replace longtime Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), who decided not to seek re-election in 2024 and almost immediately endorsed her. Blunt Rochester once worked as his intern.

Voters send history-making candidates to Congress — Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks at the Democratic National Convention on 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 Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday night, becoming the first Black woman to represent Maryland.

Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester will become the fourth and fifth Black women ever to serve in the upper chamber, following Vice President Kamala Harris, the late Democratic Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Sen. LaFonza Butler (D-Calif.).

Their victories also marked the first time in history that two black women served simultaneously.

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

Sarah McBride, Delaware At-Large

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

McBride said CBS News said this monumental turning point in history is “evidence to Delawareans that the candidacy of a man like me is even possible.” However, McBride said becoming the first transgender member of Congress is not the goal. Rather, promoting affordable child care, reproductive freedom, and affordable housing is a typical Democratic position in the 2024 cycle.

McBride will fill Blunt Rochester’s vacant seat in the House of Representatives.

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 32nd Congressional District

Rep.-elect Julie Johnson has won the race to succeed Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) in Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, paving the way for her to become the first openly gay representative in the Texas 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 about what you can or can’t do. Don’t be your own barrier to achieving your dreams. Move forward, work hard, and you never know, you might win.”

Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) speaks to delegates in Paramus, New Jersey on March 4, 2024. New Jersey Democrats and Republicans will determine their party’s standard-bearers in the Senate amid a federal corruption trial in New York, New Jersey. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez joins presidential and House candidates. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Andy Kim, New Jersey Senate race

Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) will become the first Korean American to serve in the Senate after defeating GOP nominee Curtis Bashaw. Kim, the son of immigrants, is 42 and will become the third-youngest member of the upper house in 2025.

Kim will take the seat previously held by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who resigned after being convicted of accepting bribes and acting as a foreign agent. He defeated New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, ending the long-held hold of the bipartisan political machine in the state.

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Businessman Bernie Moreno shows 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-Ohio) has entered a competitive Ohio Senate race, becoming the Buckeye State’s first Latino officeholder.

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He will also become the first senator of South American origin.

Moreno’s victory was one of the few upsets on election night, with polls showing him tied or trailing Brown. It was one of the most expensive Senate races this cycle, with $400 million poured into the contest.