On Tuesday night, California State Attorney General and Howard University alumna, Kamala Harris, came finished first in the race for California’s open U.S. Senate seat. The Los Angeles Times reports that Harris won 40.1 percent of votes, with runner-up Loretta Sanchez trailing behind at 16.6 percent.

Even with her 23.5 percent margin, Harris, who is a Democrat, will have to face off with Loretta Sanchez again in the November elections. California’s new top-two primary rules allowed voters to choose regardless of party registration. As a result, this is the first time in California history that a Republican will not appear on the ballet for U.S. State Senate.

Both Harris and Sanchez are daughters of immigrants. Both of them finishing in the top two ensures a woman of color will take the open seat. Currently, there is only one woman of color in the U.S. Senate, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii. There has only been one black female senator in the U.S. and there has never been a Latina.

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

Harris previously made history as the first black, the first Asian-American and the first female attorney general for the state.

What do you think about Kamala Harris’ historic win? Sound off in the comments!

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