Kamala Harris Becomes 2nd Black Woman Elected to U.S. Senate

Kamala Harris, 52, made history last night by winning election to the U.S. Senate for the state of California. Harris is the second Black woman and first Indian American to hold a senate seat.

Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, defeated Loretta Sanchez to become the first new senator from the sunshine state in 24 years.

She'll replace Senator Barbara Boxer, who announced her retirement in 2015.

Harris' two decades of political experience made her an early front-runner. She became the first woman and person of color to elected California Attorney General.
The Howard University grad has expressed her strong commitment to serving children in an interview with NBC News.  "I've worked hard to protect and support children, and I've seen what happens when we don't," she said. "So I've developed this strong feeling that, as a community, we have a responsibility to make sure that every child is safe, is healthy and has access to a high quality education. We not only owe it to those children, but we owe it to the entire community."

She cites her parents' involvement with the Civil Right Movement as an early influence on her choice to pursue a political career.

Harris,  who counts President Obama as a friend, will soon enter a Republican-controlled congress.

Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois became the first black woman to serve in the body in 1993.