Congress Gets Diversity Boost With Record Number of Women of Color in Senate

White voters played a major role in getting Donald Trump into the White House, but one place where diversity appears to have gotten a boost is on Capitol Hill.

The upcoming Congress will be the most diverse in its history and the Senate will have the most women of color in its history -- 35 Democrats and three Republicans, according to EMILY's List, a PAC that supports Democratic pro-choice women candidates in all levels of government.

There were several firsts in the four female Senate wins.

Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina senator when she won in Nevada, taking over Harry Reid's seat.

Kamala Harris, who is taking over Sen. Barbara Boxer's seat in California, is Indian-American and African-American, making her the first Indian-American in the Senate and the second black Senator.

Tammy Duckworth moved from the House of Representatives to the Senate, and she is now the first Thai-American in that chamber.

The fourth woman elected to the Senate in the group is Maggie Hassan, of New Hampshire, who defeated Republican Kelly Ayotte.

There were several demographic firsts in the House of Representatives as well.

Pramila Jayapal, who won in Washington state, immigrated to the U.S. after being born in India and raised in Indonesia and Singapore, and Stephanie Murphy, who won in Florida, is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, making her the first Vietnamese-American in Congress.

Nanette Barragan is the first Latina elected by her Congressional district in Los Angeles, and the group of incoming Congresswomen is rounded out by Colleen Hanabusa from Hawaii.

Lisa Blunt Rochester became the first African-American to serve in Congress from Delaware and Val Demings became the first African-American in her congressional seat in Florida.

Rachel Thomas, a national press secretary for EMILY's List, said that they view the Congressional and Senate victories as a way to change the face of power in Washington.

"I think that the election of these women shows how important it is -- and especially now -- to have diverse perspectives in Congress and in government that will help advocate for and build better policies that help all Americans of every background and every community," Thomas told ABC News.

"Their leadership will provide the checks and balances that are such an important part of our government," she said.

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from ABC News: Politics http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congress-diversity-boost-record-number-women-color-senate/story?id=43442514

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