The 2024 election featured prominent firsts that reflect the growing diversity of the United States, as voters elected Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, and the first two Black women to serve simultaneously in the Senate – Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland .

McBride won her seat in Delaware with a 58% majority through a campaign that triumphed a history of legislative action on key issues like universal paid family and medical leave. This victory came as a surprise to some, as Republicans spent an estimated $21 million nationally on ads targeting transgender issues.

Rochester and Alsobrooks’ victories cemented the total of current Black Senators as five, the most ever in US history. “It’s remarkable to think that in two years, America will celebrate its 250th birthday,” Alsobrooks said. “And in all those years, there have been more than 2,000 people who have served in the United States Senate. Only three have looked like me.”