A look at the new faces in the 119th Congress’s upper chamber, where Republicans will control by 53-47.
There will be new faces in the Senate when the 119th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2025.
Thanks to flipping four seats, the GOP will control the upper congressional chamber, 53-47, for the first time since early January 2021.
Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.), while they also won their elections on Nov. 5, have already been sworn into the Senate and therefore will not be considered freshmen. Both previously served in the House.
Additionally, new senators from Ohio and Florida will be appointed by their state’s governor to succeed Sens. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Vance will be sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, while Rubio is expected to win Senate confirmation as Secretary of State.
Their resignation dates and successors have yet to be announced.
Below are the new members of what some have called the “world’s greatest deliberative body.”
Angela Alsobrooks
Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, will succeed Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who is leaving Congress after 37 years, 17 of them in the Senate.
She defeated former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, with 54.7 percent of the vote.
Alsobrooks, 53, previously was the executive of Prince George’s County and the county’s top prosecutor.
She comes into Congress as a progressive who, for instance, is for abolishing or reforming the filibuster, especially to codify the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court overturned.
The filibuster requires 60 votes in order to advance most legislation in the Senate. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said the mechanism will remain in place.
Although Alsobrooks has called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, she has said she backs the Jewish state’s right to defend itself. She has also called for a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
She has blamed big companies “who are receiving record profits right now” for being behind high inflation.
Alsobrooks has also expressed support for an assault weapons ban and prohibiting ghost guns.
