'Year of the women': Female candidates who claimed historic victories on Tuesday
The House is getting its first two Muslim women and Massachusetts is getting its first black congresswoman following Tuesday's midterm elections, among other historic firsts.
In what some are referring to as the "pink wave," the high-profile midterm cycle produced a record number of women contenders. Several winners will take office as trailblazers, marking firsts for their race and gender. Other races are too close to call still but could produce historic outcomes.
In Massachusetts, Democrat Ayanna Pressley completed her quest to become the state's first black woman elected to Congress.
Texas elected a Latina to Congress for the first time. Two of them, in fact: Democrats Veronica Escobar of El Paso and Sylvia Garcia of Houston.
Democrats Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan will be the first Muslim women to serve in Congress.
Former New Mexico state Democratic Party chairwoman Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids of Kansas became the first Native American women elected to Congress. Davids is also Kansas's first openly LGBT candidate to win a major office. Republican Yvette Herrell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, is in a hotly contested race for another open U.S. House seat in New Mexico.
Democrat Letitia James became the first black woman elected to statewide office in New York. The 60-year-old will also be the state's first black attorney general.
Republican Marsha Blackburn will become Tennessee's first woman senator.
At 29 years old, New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her race and became the youngest member of Congress. Ocasio-Cortez has said she is still paying off her student loans and until recently had no health insurance.
Regardless of who wins in Arizona's competitive Senate race, the state will elect either Republican Martha McSally or Democrat Kyrsten Sinema as the state's first woman to serve in the chamber.
Running for: Governor of Georgia
If elected: Abrams would be the country's first black female governor.
Running for: House of Representatives in California's 39th district
If elected: Kim would be the first Korean-American female ever elected to Congress.
Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat
Running for: Senator of Arizona
If elected: Sinema would become the country's first bisexual Senator. She is already the first bisexual Congresswoman.
Women weren't the only trailblazers who won. In Colorado, Jared Polis was elected the country's first openly gay male governor. In New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Jim McGreevy, elected in 2001, had been outed as gay while in office.
Democrat Mike Espy, who will face Mississippi Republican Rep. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a December runoff, could become the state's first black senator since Reconstruction.
The following candidates were on the ballot Tuesday but lost their races:
Running for: Governor of Vermont
If elected: Hallquist would be the country's first openly transgender governor.
Running for: Governor of Idaho
If elected: Jordan would be the country's first Native American governor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Pelosi says Democrats will strive for bipartisanship
Gillum concedes Florida governor seat to DeSantis
Abrams aims to be first black female governor in the U.S.
Heitkamp loses North Dakota Senate seat to Cramer
Kim Davis, clerk jailed over marriage licenses, loses re-election
