March 18, 2025 Story by: Editor
The 119th Congress, sworn in on Jan. 3, has brought significant milestones for women of color, particularly in the Senate and House of Representatives. For the first time, two Black women are serving simultaneously in the Senate, while two states and a U.S. territory have elected their first Black, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander woman legislator.
In total, 61 women of color are part of the 119th Congress, representing 24 states as voting members and three territories, along with the District of Columbia, as nonvoting delegates. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of the U.S. Senate and House records, this Congress includes five female senators of color, the highest number recorded.
This analysis is part of an ongoing series examining the demographic composition of Congress.
Breakdown of Representation
Among the 61 women of color in the new Congress:
- 31 are Black
- 19 are Hispanic
- 9 are Asian
- 2 are Pacific Islander
- Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas is Native American
- Rep. Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat from Washington, is multiracial (both Black and Asian) and is counted in both categories but only once in the overall total
Notably, the number of women of color remains the same as at the start of the 118th Congress in January 2023, making it the first time in nearly 15 years that this count has not increased.
Key Firsts in the 119th Congress
Despite the stagnant overall numbers, women of color have achieved historic gains in the new Congress:
- For the first time, two Black women are serving in the Senate simultaneously – Angela Alsobrooks (Maryland) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (Delaware), both Democrats. They are also the first Black senators of any gender to represent their respective states.
- Oregon’s first Black member of Congress, Rep. Janelle Bynum (Democrat), has taken office.
- Rep. Nellie Pou (Democrat) is now the first Hispanic woman to represent New Jersey in Congress.
- Kimberlyn King-Hinds, a Republican who identifies as a Pacific Islander, has become the first woman delegate of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The majority (56 of 61) of these women serve in the House as either representatives or nonvoting delegates. In the Senate, two are Black, two are Asian American, and one is Hispanic.
Party Representation
Most women of color in Congress are Democrats, with only seven Republicans among them. The Republican members include:
- Four Hispanic women
- Two Pacific Islander women
- One Asian woman
Women of Color in Congressional History
Women of color have been serving in Congress for 60 years. The trailblazer was Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink, a Democrat from Hawaii, who was the first Asian American woman elected in 1964. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from New York, became the first Black woman in Congress in 1968. In 1989, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, became the first Hispanic woman to serve in either chamber.
Since then, 117 women of color have held seats in Congress, accounting for 26% of the 448 women who have ever served.
Notably, 62% of these women entered office in the last 12 years, including the majority of:
- Hispanic women (76%)
- Asian or Pacific Islander women (67%)
- Black women (52%)
- All four Native American or Alaska Native women elected
A Closer Look at Representation
Black Women in Congress
Of the 64 Black women who have served in Congress:
- 60 have served in the House (57 as voting members, 3 as nonvoting delegates from D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Five have been U.S. senators:
- Carol Moseley Braun (Illinois, elected in 1992)
- Kamala Harris (California, elected in 2016, later became Vice President)
- Laphonza Butler (California, appointed to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 2023)
- Angela Alsobrooks (Maryland, 2024)
- Lisa Blunt Rochester (Delaware, 2024)
Blunt Rochester is the only Black woman ever elected to both the House and Senate.
Hispanic Women in Congress
A total of 33 Hispanic women have served, with all but one – Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada) – serving in the House.
Asian and Pacific Islander Women in Congress
Since Patsy Mink’s election in 1964, 18 Asian or Pacific Islander women have served in Congress:
- 17 in the House
- 3 in the Senate
- Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (Illinois) have served in both chambers
- Kamala Harris and Marilyn Strickland are both Black and Asian, counted in both categories
Native American and Alaska Native Women
- Sharice Davids (Kansas), Yvette Herrell (New Mexico), and Deb Haaland (New Mexico) are the three Native American women who have served in the House. Haaland later became Interior Secretary under President Joe Biden, making history as the first Native American Cabinet Secretary.
- Former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, is the only Alaska Native to have served in Congress.
Political Trends
The majority (86%) of women of color elected to Congress have been Democrats. The only Black Republican woman to have ever served was Rep. Mia Love (Utah), who held office during the 114th (2015-17) and 115th (2017-19) Congresses.
State Representation
Since women of color first entered Congress, a total of 30 states have elected at least one, along with four U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
Since the 118th Congress, this count has grown slightly:
- Virginia elected its first Black congresswoman, Rep. Jennifer McClellan, in a February 2023 special election.
- Kimberlyn King-Hinds became the first woman delegate from the Northern Mariana Islands in November 2024.
Among states:
- 24 have elected at least one Black woman
- 11 have elected at least one Hispanic woman
- 6 have elected at least one Asian American woman
- 2 have elected at least one Native American woman
- Alaska is the only state to elect an Alaska Native woman
Several U.S. territories, including American Samoa, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, have elected women of color as non voting delegates or resident commissioners.
Leading States
The states that have elected the highest number of women of color to Congress are:
- California (24)
- Florida (10)
- Texas (9)
As the 119th Congress unfolds, women of color continue to shape the political landscape, even as representation numbers remain steady. Source: Marilyn Strickland House
