Angela Alsobrooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester Make History as Newly Elected Black Senators in 2024 Election

Two years ago, the U.S. Senate did not have a single Black woman. And before that, only two Black women had ever served in the upper chamber of Congress.

Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland have changed the math. They both won their races on Tuesday, Nov. 5 — making history while bringing greater representation to Congress and maintaining the Democrats’ hold on the seats.

This is also the first time that two Black women will serve as senators together — and they will each take seats held by White male Democrats.

Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks scored a historic win on Election Night.

Alsobrooks, the top elected official in Prince George’s County, Maryland, handily beat Republican former Governor Larry Hogan to earn a state senate seat.

The win makes Alsobrooks Maryland’s first Black woman senator. Alsobrooks is also set to serve in the Senate with Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester, marking the first time three Black women will simultaneously be seated in the chamber. California’s Laphonza Butler has been the sole Black senator serving since 2023.

Maryland’s Senate race became hotly contested after Hogan, the last Republican to win a statewide vote in one of the nation’s bluest states, joined the GOP primary in February. Hogan, a moderate Republican, was elected as Maryland governor twice. During his Senate campaign, Hogan stressed he was “pro-choice” and pledged to be an independent voice in the chamber.

“You’re going to hear nothing but red versus blue,” Hogan said during an October debate with Alsobrooks. “I care more, a lot more, about the red, white and blue.”

During the debate, Alsobrooks promised “to stand up for our values … creating economic opportunity for every Maryland family. I’ll also fight for our freedoms, like a woman’s right to choose, contraception, and IVF.”

Alsobrooks will replace retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in the Senate.

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Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester became Delaware’s first Black woman senator, and with Alsobrooks win in Maryland. the duo have doubled the number of Black women in the U.S. Senate from two to four.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Blunt Rochester defeated Republican Eric Hansen and Independent Mike Katz.

The win makes Blunt Rochester the first Black woman to ever represent Delaware in the Senate.

Blunt Rochester, who is in her fourth term in the House, is no stranger to making history. She is currently the first woman and the first Black person to represent Delaware in Congress.

The Democratic lawmaker said that her bid for Senate was much bigger than breaking barriers. California’s Laphonza Butler is currently the only Black woman serving in the Senate and just the third in history.

“I’m not doing this to make history,” Blunt Rochester said. “I’m doing this to make a difference.”

Blunt Rochester will fill the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper, a longtime mentor who hired her as a congressional intern when she was a graduate student.

Blunt Rochester said she is seeking to create jobs, protect reproductive rights and health care, and center the needs of seniors and families. Despite her lead in the polls, Blunt Rochester noted she was still fighting to earn every vote.

Delaware is “urban, suburban and coastal,” she said. “It’s a blue state, but we vote blue, red, and purple. I am letting voters know that I want to represent everyone. If I go to the Senate, we all go.”

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