Outside the presidential race, these candidates achieved historic firsts
While all eyes were on the main presidential race, where Donald Trump claimed victory despite votes still being counted, the 2024 US election has served up several historic firsts in the lower ballots.
We’re talking about various states’ congressional and senate races.
Here’s a look at some of the history-making results.
Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland
Angela Alsobrooks cheers during an election night watch party. (AP: Jess Rapfogel)
Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, has become the first Black candidate elected to represent Maryland in the US Senate.
“It’s remarkable to think that in two years, America will celebrate its 250th birthday,” Ms Alsobrooks said during a victory speech.
“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.
“And so, I want to salute all those who came before me, who made it possible for me to stand on this stage tonight, whose sacrifices and stories I will continue to carry with me.”
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Ms Alsobrooks, a Prince George’s County executive, will be the second female senator from Maryland after Democrat Barbara Mikulski.
Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware
Democratic representative Lisa Blunt Rochester won her contest for a seat in the US Senate, setting her up to become the first woman and first Black person to represent Delaware.
“The people have spoken, and we’re bringing bright hope to the United States Senate,” Ms Blunt Rochester said in a victory speech to supporters.
Lisa Blunt Rochester speaks during an election night watch party. (AP: Gail Burton)
She said her run was not about making history, rather about “making a difference”.
Ms Blunt Rochester was considered a shoo-in for the senate against Republican Eric Hansen.
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Democrats hold a significant voter registration advantage over Republicans in solid-blue Delaware.
In addition to becoming their states’ first Black senators, Rochester and Alsobrooks will also be the first two Black women to serve simultaneously in the chamber.
Their victories also raise the number of Black members of the US Senate to five, the most to serve together in history.
Sarah McBride, Delaware
Sarah McBride speaks to voters outside of an early voting location in Newark, Delaware. (Reuters: Rachel Wisniewski)
Democrat Sarah McBride has become the first openly transgender person elected to serve in Congress, a historic first for the US.
McBride easily defeated her Republican opponent, John Whalen III, for Delaware’s seat in the House of Representatives.
“Tonight is a testament to Delawareans that we have shown time and time again that in this state of neighbours, we judge candidates based on their ideas and not their identities,” McBride said.
“I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference for my state and this country.”
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McBride has established a national profile as an LGBTQ activist and achieved national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party in the US.
Andy Kim, New Jersey
Democrat Andy Kim will be the first Korean American elected to the US Senate.
In a recent interview, Mr Kim said that accomplishment would validate his parents’ decision 50 years ago to immigrate to the US.
Kim is a former Obama administration national security aide, a Rhodes Scholar and has a Ph.D. from Oxford. (AP: J. Scott Applewhite)
Mr Kim defeated Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw for the seat that opened when Robert Menendez resigned earlier this year after a federal bribery conviction.
Following his victory, Mr Kim told his supporters to see the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s independence as “a reminder that the greatness of America is not what we take from this country but what we give back”.
“Let us use that extraordinary milestone as a moment of healing,” he said.
Mr Kim gained national attention in 2021 when he was spotted cleaning up the US Capitol after the January 6 insurrection.
He will also become the US Senate’s third youngest member when he takes the oath of office.
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Bernie Moreno, Ohio
Republican Bernie Moreno, who was born in Columbia, will be the first Latino to represent Ohio in the senate.
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The contest in Ohio was the most expensive senate race this year and among the most expensive ever in US history.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Ohio saw half a billion dollars in campaign ad spending this election cycle while Pennsylvania saw $US340 million ($494 million).
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