Black Women Aim to Make Senate History

The U.S. Senate is poised for a potential milestone this fall, as two Black women could be elected for the first time in its history.
The election of both Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland would mark an unprecedented moment in the Senate’s more than 200-year history.
It would double the number of Black women ever elected to the Senate, a body still overwhelmingly dominated by white men.
Blunt said her mission is not just about breaking records but making “a difference, an impact, on people’s lives.”
Alsobrooks added that people of her background “don’t usually make it to the U.S. Senate—but they should.”
The only two Black women to have been elected to the Senate to date are Carol Moseley Braun in 1992 and Kamala Harris in 2016.
Laphonza Butler, appointed to complete the term of the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, became the third, though she was not elected.
The notion of two Black women serving in the Senate simultaneously has left political observers like Debbie Walsh, director of Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics feeling optimistic.
She said: “I have to pause and think, how is that possible? It’s not that white male attorneys’ perspective shouldn’t be at the table, they shouldn’t be the only thing at the table.”
For now though, both women face significant challenges. Blunt Rochester’s path seems reasonably promising: She recently won her uncontested primary for the seat held by retiring Sen. Tom Carper in Delaware, where she currently serves as the state’s at-large representative in the House.
Maryland’s Alsobrooks, however, faces a tougher battle. She is up against popular former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in a race that could influence Senate control in this year’s election.
Alsobrooks defied expectations in her Democratic primary, defeating wealthy businessman David Trone with a grassroots campaign bolstered by party support.
She is currently the County Executive of Prince George’s County, a role she ascended to after serving as the area’s State’s Attorney.
The two women are known to be good friends, often referring to each other as “sister senator to be.”
They have drawn support from high-profile figures including Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the second Black woman elected to the Senate in 2016.
Their campaigns echo the sentiments of Glynda C. Carr, president of Higher Heights for America, an organization committed to electing Black women.
Carr said: “People are anxious and excited at the same time.”
Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks describe themselves as authentic leaders who embrace their identities while focusing on issues that matter to voters.
Blunt Rochester is known to recount the history of her great-great-great-grandfather on her campaign trail, who, after being freed from slavery, was granted the right to vote in Georgia. She ties that legacy to her hopes for her new granddaughter’s future.
Alsobrooks, in her campaign launch video, shared a personal story about her great-grandfather’s death at the hands of a South Carolina sheriff’s deputy.
Despite their history, both candidates are said to be careful not to lean too heavily on their identity.
In the U.S., Black women face tough challenges in gaining the political support and financial backing needed to win statewide office.
Analysts say that underfunding and lack of confidence in their electability have stymied their success in key races.
During the Democratic National Convention, Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks held an event at a Black history museum in Chicago, where Moseley Braun spoke and Laphonza Butler introduced the candidates.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press