Meet the history-makers of the 120th Congress

WASHINGTON — The incoming freshman class of the 120th Congress includes several people who scored historic wins in their states and the nation at large.

Among them were women breaking glass ceilings in the Senate and trailblazers for Native American representation. Beyond Washington, a handful of nominees pulled off milestone victories in gubernatorial elections, including four Black candidates. Congress is also poised to witness history next year with New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries expected to become the first Black speaker.

Here are some of the candidates who made history on election night, both in Congress and in the governor’s mansions:

Peggy Flanagan, D-Minn.

A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan becomes the first Native American woman elected to the Senate with her victory over Republican Michele Tafoya. The outgoing Minnesota lieutenant governor is also the first Native American to represent the state in Congress.

Annie Andrews, D-S.C.

Andrews, a pediatrician, becomes the first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina after defeating appointed Republican incumbent Darline Graham, the first female senator from the Palmetto State.

Julia Letlow, R-La.

Letlow, the first Republican woman elected to the House from Louisiana, earns the same distinction in the Senate with her victory over Democrat Jamie Davis in the open-seat race to succeed GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich.

With his victory over Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, becomes the first Muslim person elected to the Senate.

Chris Pappas, D-N.H.

By defeating former Sen. John E. Sununu, Pappas, a fourth-term congressman, becomes the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

Melat Kiros, D-Colo.

Kiros, who upset Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Colorado’s 1st District, easily won the general election to become the first Black woman elected to Congress from the Centennial State. Kiros, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and emigrated to the U.S. as an infant, is also the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress.

Dan Koh, D-Mass.

Koh, the son of a Korean American father and a Lebanese American mother, is the first Asian American elected to Congress from Massachusetts. The former Biden administration alumnus will succeed Democrat Seth Moulton in the state’s 6th District.

Denise Powell, D-Neb.

The daughter of immigrants from Chile and Cuba, Powell is the first Latino person elected to Congress from Nebraska after flipping the state’s 2nd District. She is also the first Democratic woman elected to Congress from Nebraska.

Pia Dandiya, D-Fla.

Dandiya, the daughter of Indian immigrants, becomes the first South Asian American elected to Congress from Florida with her victory in the redrawn 22nd District. She is also the first adherent of Jainism to be elected to Congress.

J.D. Ford, D-Ind.

Ford, a state senator, unseated Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz to become the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Indiana.

Sean McCann, D-Mich.

McCann, a state senator, defeated Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga to become the first Native American elected to Congress from Michigan. McCann is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Jeremy Moss, D-Mich.

Moss, the president pro tempore of the Michigan Senate, keeps Rep. Haley Stevens’ 11th District in Democratic hands, becoming the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Michigan.

Adam Hamawy, D-N.J.

Hamawy, a former Army surgeon who emigrated from Egypt to the U.S. as an infant, is the first Muslim person elected to Congress from New Jersey, with his victory in the state’s 12th District.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, D-N.Y.

With her victory in New York’s 13th District, Avila Chevalier becomes the first Muslim person elected to Congress from the Empire State. She succeeds Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, whom she defeated in the primary.

Claire Valdez, D-N.Y.

A citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation, Valdez is the first Native American elected to Congress from New York. The New York State assemblywoman will succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez.

Michael Alfonso, R-Wis.

Alfonso, the son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is the first Gen Z Republican elected to Congress with his victory in Wisconsin’s open 7th District, a seat his father-in-law once held.

Janelle Sarauw, D-V.I.

Unofficial returns show Sarauw winning the open-seat race to succeed outgoing Del. Stacey Plaskett, making her the first openly gay person elected to Congress from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS

Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.

The son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra, a former congressman and Health and Human Services secretary, is the first Latino to be elected governor of California. He is the state’s second Latino governor after Romualdo Pacheco, who was never elected to the role but briefly succeeded an incumbent in 1875.

Byron Donalds, R-Fla.

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds will become Florida’s first Black governor after he defeated Democrat David Jolly, a former GOP congressman.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, D-Ga.

With her victory over Republican businessman Rick Jackson, Lance Bottoms becomes the first woman to be elected governor of Georgia. The former Atlanta mayor is also the state’s first Black governor and the first Black woman to be elected governor anywhere in the country, along with Del. Stacey Plaskett in the U.S. Virgin Islands (see entry below).

Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Klobuchar, the first woman to be elected senator from Minnesota, makes history again with her election as her state’s first female governor.

Aaron Ford, D-Nev.

Ford, the current Nevada attorney general, will become his state’s first Black governor after defeating Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo.

Deb Haaland, D-N.M.

Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, will become the first Native American woman to be elected governor in the U.S. after defeating Republican Gregg Hull. The former Interior secretary was also one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, along with Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids, in 2018.

Amy Acton, D-Ohio

With her victory over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Acton becomes the first woman elected governor of Ohio. Republican Nancy Hollister briefly served as the state’s top executive in the late 1990s but was never elected governor.

Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Blackburn, Tennessee’s first female senator, will soon become the Volunteer State’s first female governor after her victory over Democrat Jerri Green.

Gina Hinojosa, D-Texas

Hinojosa, a state representative, will become the first Hispanic person elected Texas governor since statehood after she unseated three-term Republican incumbent Greg Abbott.

David Crowley, D-Wis.

Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, will be the first Black person elected governor of Wisconsin after he defeated Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I.

Unofficial returns show Plaskett, the nonvoting delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, becoming the first woman to be elected governor of the island territory. She is also one of the first Black women to be elected governor in the country, along with Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms.