*This fall, the Senate could make history by electing two Black women, a first since Congress was established over 200 years ago.
Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester and Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks, both Democratic candidates, aim to make a meaningful impact rather than just making history. If elected, they would double the number of Black women ever elected to the Senate, from two to four, and would be the first to serve concurrently in the chamber’s history, which has traditionally been dominated by white men.
In its nearly 232-year history, the U.S. Senate has had only 11 Black senators, and it has never had two Black women serving concurrently.
“I have to pause and think, How is that possible?” asked Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, per The AP via MSN.
Scroll to continue reading
“It’s not that white male attorneys’ perspective shouldn’t be at the table,” Walsh added, noting, “they shouldn’t be the only thing at the table.”
Rochester is preparing for the general election as the Delaware Democrat contending for Sen. Tom Carper’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. At 62, she could become both the first Black Delawarean and the first woman to represent the First State in the Senate. The outcome will be decided in November, where she’ll compete against Republican challenger Eric Hansen and Independent Mike Katz.
“I am incredibly honored to officially be Delaware’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate,” Blunt Rochester said in a statement.
“From the start, our focus has been ensuring that every Delawarean has a fair shot at a better future — from access to good-paying jobs and affordable health care to safe, thriving communities,” she added. “The Senate is an opportunity to work on these issues on a deeper level, plus work on the most pressing issues of our lifetimes — restoring our reproductive freedoms and advancing voting rights for every American.”
Meanwhile, according to a poll released Tuesday by Emerson College, Alsobrooks is ahead of Republican Larry Hogan by 7 percentage points in the Maryland U.S. Senate race
“This recent poll demonstrates what we’ve known for a while: Marylanders understand we must defend our Democratic Senate majority to protect our freedoms, fight for safer communities, and lower costs so hardworking families can not just get by, but can thrive,” said Alsobrooks campaign spokesperson Meredith Happy, the Baltimore Sun reports.
“With less than 50 days until election day and Republicans continuing to pour millions of dollars into the race, (Alsobrooks is) traveling to every corner of our state to remind Marylanders what exactly is at stake in this race — their futures,” Happy added.
Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois made history in 1992 as the first Black woman elected to the Senate, serving one term. Kamala Harris followed as the second, while Sen. Laphonza Butler was appointed to complete the term of the late Dianne Feinstein who passed away in 2023.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: JD Vance Defends Saying Haitian Immigrants Eat Pets: ‘If I Have to Create Stories … That’s What I’m Going to Do’ | WATCH
