Democrats had a tough night after projections showed they lost the Senate. But they also made history.
Democrats Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware are projected to win their Senate races, meaning two Black women will serve in the Senate for the first time in the body’s history.
Blunt Rochester, a current member of Congress, is the first woman and the first Black person to represent the state of Delaware in the Senate. She has served in the U.S. House since 2017. Alsobrooks serves as executive of Prince George’s County; she beat Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland, to become the first Black person to represent Maryland in the senate.
“I want to salute all of those who came before me. Who made it possible for me to stand on this stage tonight. Whose sacrifices and stories I will continue to carry with me. And from the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every Marylander,” Alsobrooks said in her victory speech.
Alsobrooks campaigned heavily on abortion rights, as voters in the state were deciding on an amendment to enshrine abortion rights into the Maryland constitution. The abortion amendment passed Tuesday night.
Blunt Rochester ran in the less-competitive state of Delaware, where she was the favorite to win. She was running to replace retiring Sen. Tom Carper. (Blunt Rochester’s successor in the House, Sarah McBride, is also set to make history as the first openly transgender member of Congress.)
The pair connected for the first time just over a year ago and have dubbed themselves “sister senators.” They’re looking to join forces in the Senate to make strides on issues like maternal mortality, prescription drug affordability and social security, they said in a joint interview with Elle.
Prior to Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester winning their seats, only two Black women had been elected to the Senate. Carol Moseley Braun was the first to be elected in 1992, and Vice President Kamala Harris became the second in 2016. Laphonza R. Butler, a Democrat from California, became the third Black woman to serve in the Senate when she was appointed to fill the seat left vacant after Dianne Feinstein died in 2023.
Both Alsobrooks and Rochester were surrogates for Harris on the campaign trail.
“I want to congratulate County Executive Alsobrooks on a hard-fought victory. Tonight, regardless of who you voted for, we can all take pride in the election of the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate,” Hogan said in a tweet Tuesday night.
Only a dozen Black men and women have served in the U.S. Senate. Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester will join Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
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Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.