New Congress Is Most Diverse Yet
For the first time, white men don't constitute a majority of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representatives, according to MSNBC.
Hispanics made particular gains in the Senate and House, with three senators and 28 representatives being sworn in today in the first session of the 113th Congress, NBC Latino reports.
Freshman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will be joined by returnees Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J. All three are Cuban-American. Most U.S. Hispanics are of Mexican origin.
Of the 28 Hispanic members of the House, 25 are Democrats and three are Republicans.
Related: Boehner Squeaks Back in as House Speaker
Minority members of the 113th Congress comprise 101 women, 43 African-Americans, 31 Hispanics, 12 Asian-Americans, and seven LBGT members, according to MSNBC.
Of the 82 new members of the House, 47 are Democrats and 35 are Republicans. The House now has 81 female representatives, a record number, 62 of whom are Democrats and 19 are Republicans.
Two House seats are momentarily empty. Former Illinois representative Jesse Jackson Jr.'s seat won't be filled till a special election in April, and U.S. Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., resigned his seat yesterday and will be sworn in to the Senate today, MSNBC reported.
