Today the Senate will swear in a record-breaking 20 female senators, four Republicans and 16 Democrats, in 113th class of Congressional office.
White men are no longer the majority in Congress. Four African-Americans, 10 Latinos, 5 Asian Americans, and 24 women will be sworn in.
The 113th Congress will contain the most women ever to serve at the same time.
Already in congress were six women up for re-election, Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, Mazie K. Hirono in Hawaii, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin and Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota will be added to the democratic side of the House.
Hirono is the first Asian American woman to be elected to the Senate, and Baldwin will be the first openly gay senator.
Twenty percent of the Senate and 18 percent of the House will now be comprised of women.
NBC Connecticut reports that New Hampshire will be the first state to send women, and only women, to Washington for representation.
The House will have its first Hindu member, its first female combat veterans and its first openly bisexual member. The Senate will have its first Buddhist.
Ten other members of the 113th Congress did not specify a specific religious affiliation, the Pew Forum points out, yet Sinema is the only to describer her religion as “none.”
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Emily Sutherlin is also the Pregnancy Examiner and Women’s Issues Examiner.
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