The newest U.S. senators will be sworn in in January, and the group includes several firsts. The story says Democrats won big in the 2026 midterm elections, flipping more than 40 House seats and picking up 7 Senate seats. Not all races have been called.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico won the Senate seat over Republican Ken Paxton. The story says it is the first time since 1988 that Texas has sent a Democrat to the Senate.
Other new senators the story highlights include Paralympian Turek of Illinois, Letlow of Louisiana, El-Sayed of Michigan, who is the first Muslim elected to the Senate, Flanagan of Minnesota, who is the first Native American elected to the Senate, Pappas of New Hampshire, who is the first openly gay man elected to the Senate, Andrews of South Carolina, and Adam Hamilton of Kansas.