The state of California has practically guaranteed some diversity to the U.S. Senate. Throughout the history of Congress, there has only been one black woman in the Senate and no Latinas – although there has been a handful of each as members of the House of Representatives. Thanks to a new law that places the two candidates with the most votes in a runoff, regardless of their party affiliation, California’s next senator will change all of that. 

This past Tuesday, California State Attorney General, seven-year San Francisco state’s attorney and Howard alumna, Kamala Harris won the primary election for California’s open Senate seat with 40.1 percent of the votes with U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez coming in second with 16.6 percent. They’re both Democrats, which will be a first for a California Senate race come November, according to the Los Angeles Times.

RELATED: Kamala Harris Launches Bid for US Senate Seat

“Our unity is our strength. Our diversity is our power,” Harris said on election night. “We understand that we have so many challenges as a country and we are prepared to lead.”

Harris served for seven years as San Francisco’s state’s attorney and became the state’s first female, black and Asian-American attorney general.

With Harris being the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India and Sanchez’s parents coming from Mexico, some refreshing diversity is all but guaranteed for the Senate this year.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons