New Mexico is the first state ever to elect all women of color to the House

The election of 2020 has broken a number of records and barriers all over the country. Voter turnout showed the highest number of votes ever recorded in an election. New York voters are sending two openly gay Black men to Congress. Oklahoma elected the first out nonbinary candidate to its state legislature.

Now, New Mexico is making its mark in political history by becoming the first state in history to elect an all-female delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. All three members of this historic delegation are also women of color. News about this dual distinction quickly spread across social media as election results were announced.

New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, announcing the news, said on Twitter, “New Mexico is a leader in building gender equity and women leadership.”

Democrat Deb Haaland will serve her second term in Congress thanks to her victory at the polls. She is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and has Jemez Pueblo heritage as well. This is her second time being written in the history books: Her win in 2018 made her one of the first Indigenous women elected to Congress.

She represents New Mexico’s 1st District, which includes most of Albuquerque. Haaland thanked her constituents for their support in a multi-lingual photo posted on Twitter on election night.

“Tonight the people of New Mexico have chosen hope over fear, love over hate, community over division, and I am so honored that New Mexican’s have chosen me to serve in our nation’s 117th Congress,” she tweeted.

Teresa Leger Fernandez, another Democrat, won the House seat for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District. The Latina graduate of Yale and Stanford has been an advocate for Hispanics and Indigenous people of New Mexico by serving on a variety of local, state and national commissions.

“The people of New Mexico have chosen to protect what we love — our democracy, our planet, our families and communities, our health care and our future,” she shared on Twitter on election night. “With this victory, I promise you I will take the courageous action that this historic moment demands. Muchísimas gracias!”

The final member of this delegation is Republican Yvette Herrell. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation who will represent New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. She previously served four terms in the state legislature before making the move to the U.S. House.

“It’s the honor of my life to be elected to serve #NM02,” Herrell posted on Twitter. “My commitment to each citizen of our district is that I will serve each of them with integrity as we work together to rebuild our economy and protect the values that make America great!”

Congrats to these candidates!